LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


THE  PAWNS  OF  FATE 


The  PAWNS  of  FATE 

By 
PAUL  E.  BOWERS 


THE  CORNHILL  COMPANY 

BOSTON 


LIBRARY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


Copyright,  1918 

by 
THE   CORNHILL   COMPANY 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

I.    A  CHANCE  MEETING 3 

II.    A  NEW  DISCLOSURE 13 

III.  PRECEPTOR  AND  PUPIL  IN  CRIME     ...  25 

IV.  THE  CITY  ELECTION 37 

V.    A  DARING  ROBBERY 51 

VI.  SLUMS  OF  THE  CITY  AND  LOVE'S  AWAK 
ENING      64 

VII.    BREAKERS  AHEAD 76 

VIII.    CAPTURED 87 

IX.    JENNIE'S  PROTEG^ Ill 

X.    ASSAULT  ON  KENNINGTON 121 

XI.    THE  NOOSE  TIGHTENS 141 

XII.  SANDERSON  INTERVIEWS  Miss  GERARD       .  154 

XIII.  NEMESIS 164 

XIV.  JERE'S  IDENTITY  REVEALED        ....  178 
XV.    A  PAWN  OF  FATE 189 

XVI.    KENNINGTON'S  REWARD 202 

EPILOGUE  208 


THE  PAWNS  OF  FATE 


'  Heaven  from  all  creatures  hides  the  look  of  fate, 
Att  but  the  page  prescribed  their  present  state" 

—POPE. 


THE 

PAWNS  OF  FATE 

CHAPTER  I 

A  CHANCE  MEETING 

A  bareheaded,  wildly-excited  young  man  raced 
across  the  Bedford  Boulevard,  hi  front  of  speeding 
automobiles,  defying  death  almost,  in  his  zigzag 
course  from  one  side  of  the  avenue  to  the  other. 
Behind  him,  on  the  sidewalk,  were  two  stalwart, 
blue-coated  officers,  puffing  and  blowing  like  wind- 
broken  horses,  from  the  violent  exercise  of  chasing 
this  pickpocket  a  city  block  in  their  determined 
effort  to  make  a  record  for  themselves  by  catching 
the  young  thief. 

For  just  an  instant  the  chase  was  interrupted  by 
the  line  of  automobiles  passing  down  the  city's  great 
artery  of  trade;  when  the  men  had  dashed  through 
the  congestion  in  safety,  their  prey  had  eluded  them; 
disgusted,  tired,  hot  and  uncomfortable  they  re 
traced  their  steps  to  their  regular  beats. 

Still  fearful  of  pursuit  and  unconscious  of  the  fact 
that  the  policemen  had  given  up  the  chase  the  young 
man  sped  on  breathlessly  for  a  square  or  two,  then  he 
turned  up  a  side  street, — gradually  slowing  his  pace 
till  he  came  to  a  walk;  now  and  then  he  quickly  cast 
glances  behind  to  make  sure  justice  would  not  over 
take  him.  As  he  looked  for  some  haven  of  safety 
he  read  a  big,  faded  sign,  printed  in  brick  red  letters, 


4  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  SALVATION  ARMY."  He  then  said  to  himself, 
"  I'll  just  beat  it  in  there  for  a  while  and  be  safe,  for 
the  bulls  won't  look  for  a  guy  in  there;  and  if  they 
do,  I've  got  a  good  alibi." 

The  hall  was  narrow,  but  it  was  about  sixty  feet 
long;  it  was  dusty  and  dingy.  The  walls  were  cov 
ered  by  a  cheap,  flowered  paper,  and  here  and  there 
were  hung  religious  mottoes.  Wonderingly,  the 
young  man  read,—"  SALVATION  IS  FREE  "  and 
"  RETURN  TO  THE  LORD."  In  the  rear  of  the 
room  was  a  little  platform,  raised  about  eight  inches 
from  the  floor;  on  this  stood  a  small  sagging  table 
bearing  a  cracked  pitcher  and  a  dusty  Bible.  A  cen 
tral  aisle  separated  rows  of  dusty  and  scarred  chairs. 

This  was  the  citadel  of  the  "  Army  of  the  Lord  " 
where  salvation  was  promised  to  all,  even  to  that 
great  submerged  tenth  of  human  derelicts  who  have 
made  a  shipwreck  of  life;  but  our  fugitive  gave  no 
thought  to  this  building  or  to  its  purpose.  All  that 
concerned  him  was  his  temporary  safety,  and  this 
room  afforded  it. 

Casting  a  shifting  eye  about,  to  make  certain  that 
he  was  not  watched,  he  drew  from  his  pocket  an  ele 
gant,  silver  chatelaine  purse,  the  outside  of  which  he 
examined  very  carefully  by  turning  it  over  slowly  in 
his  hand.  This  examination  proved  very  satis 
factory.  Possessing  the  keenest  desire  to  open  it 
at  once,  to  discover  its  contents,  he  still  uneasily 
turned  round  and  cast  furtive  glances  at  the  windows 
and  the  door,  fearing  he  might  be  observed.  Reas 
suring  himself,  he  opened  the  pocket  book  and  found 
that  it  contained  five  silver  dollars,  a  small  chamois 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  5 

skin,  a  mirror  and  calling  cards  bearing  the  name 
and  address  of  a  young  woman  whose  home  was  on 
the  aristocratic  Irvington  Drive.  He  quickly  emp 
tied  the  purse,  placed  the  money  in  his  pocket  and 
tore  up  the  cards,  save  one,  saying  to  himself:  "I'll 
just  keep  this  one  for  good  luck.  A  feller  can't  never 
tell  what's  goin'  to  happen!  " 

He  threw  the  mirror,  chamois  skin  and  torn  cards 
into  the  rusty  red  stove  which  was  employed  in  heat 
ing  the  room.  How  to  dispose  of  the  purse  was  now 
the  question  that  arose  in  his  mind;  had  it  been 
worthless  he  would  have  dropped  it  while  running. 
He  recalled  to  memory  a  certain  pawnshop  on  the 
west  side,  kept  by  a  little  hunchback,  swarthy- 
skinned,  Russian  Jew,  who  was  very  considerate  of 
his  customers'  feelings;  —  he  never  asked  questions. 

While  he  was  debating  whether  or  not  he  should 
promptly  go  to  this  "  fence,"  for  such  this  type  of 
pawn-shop  keeper  is  called,  he  was  given  a  violent 
start.  The  dilapidated,  old  door  in  the  rear  of  the 
hall  slowly  opened,  accompanied  by  harsh,  creaking 
sounds  from  its  old,  rusty  hinges.  Emerging  from 
a  dark,  squalid  room  beyond,  was  a  man  upon  whom 
the  hand  of  time  had  heavily  weighed.  His  hair  was 
very  gray,  almost  fading  into  white;  his  form  was 
stooped;  his  face  wore  a  hardened  look,  and  yet  there 
was  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye.  Wrinkles  and  deep 
furrows  accentuated  the  sunken  cheeks  and  high 
cheek  bones;  the  marks  of  many  vices  were  evident. 
The  right  arm  was  somewhat  bent  and  twisted  and 
three  fingers  of  the  hand  were  missing.  This  physi 
cal  disfigurement  was  the  mute  telltale  of  his  last 


6  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

safe-blowing  act  eight  years  before.  Through  an 
overcharge  of  nitroglycerine  the  safe  door  had  been 
torn  from  its  hinges  and  thrown  upon  him,  breaking 
the  arm  and  contusing  the  hand.  From  this  injury 
he  recovered  very  slowly,  and  the  resulting  deformity 
finally  led  to  his  arrest  and  conviction. 

To  allay  the  severe  pains  he  suffered  at  the  time  of 
his  injury  he  resorted  to  the  use  of  morphine,  to  which 
habit  he  had  become  a  slave.  The  insatiable  cravings 
for  the  juice  of  the  poppy  weakened  his  nerves, 
robbed  him  of  his  ambition  and  made  him  a  total 
wreck,  unworthy  of  trust,  to  be  ostracised  by  his 
former  confederates  in  crime. 

Thus  he  had  been  compelled  to  seek  light  employ 
ment  wherever  he  could.  Simulating  reformation,  he 
had  wheedled  himself  into  the  good  graces  of  the 
Major  of  the  Salvation  Army  and  became  the  janitor 
of  their  hall. 

His  coat,  a  faded,  greenish  black,  bore  evidence  of 
an  aristocratic,  if  departed  glory.  His  pants  were 
bagged  at  the  knees  and  frayed;  a  threadbare  fringe 
was  apparent  at  the  bottom  which  skirted  the  tops 
of  his  rough,  heavy,  ill-fitting  shoes. 

The  young  man  picked  up  the  chair  which  he  had 
stumbled  against  and  upset  in  his  sudden  fright,  ad 
justed  his  coat,  took  a  cap  from  his  hip  pocket  and 
tried  to  assume  an  air  of  calmness  as  he  turned  to  face 
the  disturber  of  his  guilty  safety. 

:<  What  do  you  want  in  here,  young  feller,  this  time 
o'  day?  You  oughter  know  gospel  is  only  dished 
out  here  at  the  preachin'  time  in  the  evenin." 

Being  addressed  in  this  manner  the  culprit  re- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  7 

gained  some  of  his  self-possession  and  hesitatingly 
inquired  about  the  address  of  a  fictitious  personage. 
Before  answering  the  youth,  the  old  man  inspected 
him  from  head  to  foot.  He  noticed  that  the  chap 
was  dressed  in  tawdry,  flashy  clothing  of  the  latest 
cut,  and  on  his  red  necktie  there  glistened  an  im 
mense  imitation  diamond.  His  whole  appearance 
suggested  a  caricature  of  gentility.  The  examiner's 
eyes  did  not  fail  to  discover  the  silver  chain  dangling 
from  the  pocket  into  which  the  thief  had  hurriedly 
thrust  the  purse.  Eyeing  this  bit  of  incriminating 
evidence  the  old  man  inquired,  "  What  you  got  there 
in  your  pocket?  " 

"  Nothin'  at  all,"  was  the  rejoinder. 
*  Yes,  you  have.     Come  clean,  you  young  rascal. 
What  are  you  doin'  packin'  around  young  ladies' 
silverware?  " 

This  remark  so  upset  the  intruder  that  he  was  hard 
ly  able  to  answer  his  inquisitor.  In  his  fear  and  ex 
citement  he  blurted  out,  "  You'se  ain't  goin'  to 
squeal  on  me,  air  ye?  I  had  a  bit  of  bad  luck  last  night 
and  lost  all  I  had  in  a  game,  and  jess  had  to  do  some- 
thin'  to  get  a  little  "  cush  "  from  somewhere.  You  look 
like  a  good  pal  to  me,  so  I'll  tell  you  the  truth  about  it. 
I  swiped  it  from  a  swell-looking  young  skirt  jess  as 
she  was  climin'  on  a  street  car.  From  the  looks  of 
her  glad  rags  she'll  never  miss  it.  The  poor  Jane 
was  so  skeert  and  hollered  so  loud  that  two  bulls  who 
was  leanin'  agin'  a  lamp  post  half  asleep  got  'roused 
an'  begun  chasin'  me.  I  sprints  down  the  Av,  gets 
away  from  them  and  then  I  cuts  up  a  side  street  till 
I  see  this  here  joint;  an'  I  beats  it  in.  That's  the 


8  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

whole  truth.  You'se  ain't  a  goin'  to  turn  me  up  now 
fer  tellin'  ye  the  truth,  air  ye?  " 

Before  replying  the  old  man  carefully  closed  the 
door  leading  to  the  street,  and  the  one  from  which  he 
had  emerged  also;  this  from  precaution  and  from 
force  of  habit.  Then  nervously  brushing  about  with 
his  old,  worn-out  feather  duster,  he  approached  his 
visitor  and  in  low  tones  asked:  "  What's  your  name, 
kid?"  "Jere  Patton,"  was  the  answer.  "Well, 
Jere,  I  am  the  janitor  of  this  here  salvation  retreat. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  Toledo  Red?  I'm  the  guy;  jess 
out  of  the  stir  in  Joliet  where  I  did  a  bit  of  seven 
years  straight.  I'm  through  wid  de  game  though; 
I'm  all  broke  up  an'  it  takes  a  husky  man  now-a-days 
to  blow  a  jug.  Major  Jones  gave  me  a  job  dustin' 
an'  takin'  care  of  dis  dump;  an',  as  I  ain't  much  good 
for  anythin'  else,  for  I'm  a  dead  one,  I  think  I  struck 
a  cinch.  Fer  three  meals  a  day,  a  good  bed  to  bunk 
in  an'  a  shower  bath  ain't  bad  fer  a  feller  what's  all  in, 
down  and  out."  Winking  his  eye,  he  added  whisper 
ing,  "  I'm  reformed,  you  know,  me  lad;  ha,  ha!  Say, 
Jere,  I'm  jess  a  little  shy  o'  change  and  if  you  will 
split  de  pot  wid  me  we'll  step  around  through  the 
back  alley  to  Dinty's  place,  a  good,  quiet  booze  joint, 
and  have  a  drink.  It's  a  big  schooner  ye  gits  there 
for  a  jitney,  an'  plenty  of  free  lunch  to  grab  on  the 
side." 

Jere  began  to  breathe  easier  after  this  display  of 
confidence  and  friendship.  He  knew  that  this  once 
famous  member  of  the  underground  fraternity  had 
been  one  of  the  best  cracksmen  in  the  country,  and 
had  robbed  more  banks  between  Toledo  and  Kansas 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  9 

City  than  any  other  yeggman.  He  had  been  a  source 
of  worry  and  constant  vigilance  to  the  police  and  the 
detectives.  Jere  had  read  in  the  papers  glowing  ac 
counts  of  daring  feats  of  robbery  performed  by  the 
fellow.  He  was  no  common  thief;  but  belonged  to 
the  aristocracy  of  crookdom. 

Of  course  Jere  did  not  relish  the  suggestion  to  di 
vide  equally,  but  a  feeling  of  patronizing  sympathy, 
the  thought  of  safety  and  the  goodfellowship  of  the 
old  crook  prompted  him  to  accept  the  proposal,  and  he 
replied:  "  All  right,  Red;  but  the  dame  didn't  have 
as  much  coin  in  this  here  bank  of  hern  as  I  hoped  she 
would.  Only  five  plunks  and  some  cards  an'  things 
to  make  herself  purty  with.  Come  on;  I'm  sorter 
dry  meself  after  the  run  I've  had.  I'll  get  some 
change  an'  give  you  half,  but  fer  God's  sake  let's  get 
out  easy  so's  no  one  will  see  us."  Thus  they  de 
parted  for  Dinty's. 

Dinty's  place  was  located  in  a  narrow  alley  in  the 
wholesale  district.  It  was  obscure  and  out  of  the 
way  among  the  shadows  of  the  gigantic  buildings  in 
this  part  of  the  city.  Indeed,  its  presence  would 
never  be  suspected  by  the  ordinary  citizen  passing 
through  this  section.  Except  to  a  very  few,  it  was 
practically  unknown  save  to  the  denizens  of  the 
underworld,  who  knew  it  well  as  the  rendezvous 
of  the  criminal  fraternity  of  the  city.  Its  exterior 
was  uninviting,  rough,  without  paint,  and  stained  by 
the  accumulation  of  dust  and  dirt  from  the  narrow 
alley.  The  customary  signs  of  the  ordinary  saloon 
were  absent;  and  if  one  set  out  deliberately  to  find 
the  place,  except  he  be  guided  by  definite  description, 


10  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  task  would  be  akin  to  that  of  looking  for  the  tra 
ditional  needle  in  a  hay-stack.  The  windows  were 
shaded  by  heavy,  green  curtains,  the  worse  for  wear, 
but  they  served  their  purpose  nevertheless,  for  they 
kept  out  the  gaze  of  such  honest  persons  as  chanced 
to  pass  by.  The  interior  was  dimly  lighted  by  a 
single  electric  lamp  which  hung  over  the  mahogany 
bar  which  was  worn  by  constant  scrubbing,  and  which 
bore  the  imprints  of  the  many  schooners  that  had 
traveled  across  its  surface.  A  musty  odor  met  the 
nostrils  as  one  came  in  from  the  outside  air.  The 
place  was  seldom  visited  by  the  police,  and  then  usu 
ally  by  some  knowing  and  unreliable  member  of  the 
Order  of  Hermandad  who  graciously  received  the 
cigars  that  were  offered  with  an  understanding  smile; 
and  who,  when  no  one  was  about,  would  take  a  little 
social  drink. 

The  bartender  was  of  strong  Celtic  type.  His 
jaw  was  square,  denoting  the  tenacity  of  a  bulldog. 
He  was  red-headed;  and  from  beneath  the  bushy 
eyebrows  gleamed  his  deep-set,  hazel-blue  eyes  which 
ever  cast  glances  about,  taking  in  a  world  of  detail 
concerning  his  surroundings,  but  never  mirroring  a 
single  thought.  He  was,  as  a  rule,  noncommunica- 
tive;  —  speaking  but  seldom,  and  then  in  a  laconic 
way. 

When  the  two  newly-made  friends,  Jere  and 
Toledo  Red,  arrived  at  the  saloon  they  sat  down  at  a 
table  in  the  rear;  they  motioned  to  the  waiter,  which 
worthy  wiped  the  moist  top  of  the  table  with  the 
end  of  his  apron  and  took  their  order  for  "  Two 
steins  o'  suds."  In  a  few  minutes  this  order  was  re- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  11 

peated;  and,  under  the  exhilarating  influence  of  the 
hop  infusions  they  grew  loquacious  and  friendly. 
Jere  related  that  he  was  practically  a  child  of  the 
gutter;  that  his  mother  had  died  with  the  "  bleedin'o' 
the  lungs"  when  he  was  only  eight  years  old,  and  that 
the  last  he  heard  of  his  father  was  that  he  had  been 
sent  to  a  home  for  drunkards.  Of  his  parents'  ante 
cedents  he  knew  absolutely  nothing.  From  the  date 
of  his  mother's  death  he  had  shifted  for  himself  and 
gained,  as  best  he  could,  his  limited  knowledge,  in  the 
school  of  the  streets.  Vices  of  all  kinds,  both  gilded 
and  unmasked,  had  passed  before  him  in  endless  pro 
cession  throughout  the  period  of  his  adolescence 
until  the  present  time;  daily  and  intimate  contact 
with  moral  corruption  had  left  its  imprint  on  his 
youthful  mind.  The  scars  of  bitter  experience  and 
of  general  unfairness  of  the  world  had  seared  deeply 
into  his  soul,  leaving  him  cynical  and  morose. 

Glad  indeed  was  the  listening,  decrepit  old  veteran 
in  criminality  to  find  in  his  new-found  companion  and 
friend,  a  spirit  of  antagonism  to  the  law, — a  nucleus 
of  anti-social  proclivities.  He  saw  in  this  spirit  of 
social  rebellion  an  opportunity  to  satisfy  his  ever- 
gnawing  desire  for  revenge  upon  society  for  the 
wrongs,  imagined  and  real,  which  it  had  inflicted 
upon  him.  As  he  contemplated  this  opportunity  he 
resolved  at  once  not  to  let  it  slip  by;  but  to  gain  the 
young  man's  complete  confidence,  and  to  control 
him;  and  thus,  if  possible,  to  utilize  Jere  as  a  casti 
gating  instrument  against  the  public  at  large. 

Before  making  a  bid  for  Jere's  partnership  in  his 
cherished  schemes  he  ordered  another  drink,  knowing 


12  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

only  too  well  that  the  effect  of  alcohol  would  enmesh 
the  unwary  youth  and  lend  a  rich  color  to  the  persua 
sion  of  his  words.  In  a  paternal  manner  the  old 
man  archly  suggested:  "  Jere,  we  should  be  pals  and 
work  together  in  our  trades;  we've  got  the  game 
sized  up  jess  about  right.  If  we  steals  a  loaf  of 
bread  or  a  door  mat  and  gets  caught  it's  a  thief  and  a 
bit  for  us;  but  if  one  of  them  church  deacons  swin 
dles  a  widow  woman  out  of  her  home  in  a  real  estate 
deal  they  call  him  an  awful  smart  business  man  and 
run  him  for  alderman  at  the  next  'lection  and  have 
us  simple  guys  go  out  and  scare  up  votes  for  him." 

In  a  semi-intoxicated  manner  Jere  listened  to  the 
overtures  of  this  criminal  Nestor,  and  heartily  agreed 
with  him.  Whereupon  they  sealed  their  compact 
with  one  more  foamy  libation  and  made  their  way 
back  to  the  Salvation  Army  hall  to  finish  the  cleaning 
and  dusting  preparatory  to  the  evening  services. 


CHAPTER  II 

A  NEW  DISCLOSURE 

After  cleaning  the  hall  in  a  slipshod  manner,  Tole 
do  Red  took  from  the  drawer  of  the  table  on  the  plat 
form  a  grimy,  fly-specked  cardboard  on  which  was 
printed  in  big  black  letters  this  mute,  but  powerful 
appeal: 

HOT  COFFEE  AND  SANDWICHES  SERVED 

HERE  TONIGHT  AFTER  THE  MEETING. 

EVERYBODY  WELCOME. 

As  he  placed  it  in  the  window  he  sarcastically  mut 
tered  to  his  companion:  "  This'll  fetch  'em  if  nothin' 
else  will." 

Then  he  repaired  to  a  little  room  in  the  rear  which 
was  equipped  with  a  gasolene  stove,  a  large,  black 
coffee-urn,  the  silent  veteran  of  many  fires;  a  cup 
board  of  ancient  date,  filled  with  heavy  mugs;  a 
three-legged  table  propped  up  against  the  wall;  a 
small  stool;  and,  in  the  corner,  a  cot  bed; — here  was 
the  living  abode  of  the  janitor. 

Here  the  refreshments  of  the  evening  were  to  be 
prepared;  and,  calling  Jere  to  this  assistance,  the 
man  began  to  make  sandwiches  from  the  material 
that  had  been  given  to  the  mission  by  some  philan 
thropic  grocer.  The  bread  may  have  been  stale,  the 
ham  a  little  hard,  and  the  coffee  of  cheap  variety; 
nevertheless  the  lunch  would  be  dispatched  with  great 


14  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

avidity  by  that  portion  of  the  army  of  the  street  who 
desired  physical  as  well  as  spiritual  blessings  at  the 
services  of  the  mission. 

When  the  sandwiches  were  made,  they  were  piled 
high  on  a  tin  platter  and  covered  with  a  none  too 
clean,  damp  towel  to  keep  them  moist, — or  to  make 
them  so.  After  finishing  this  task  the  old  man 
looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Say,  kid,"  he  exclaimed,  "the  big  show '11  begin 
som'er'  round  seven-thirty  an'  we've  jess  got  time  to 
slip  over  to  Dinty's  an'  get  a  pint  o'  beer  an'  snatch 
some  lunch.  We've  got  to  be  back  on  time  or  I'll 
lose  me  job.  Come  on;  let's  dig  out,  and  get  a 


move  on  us." 


They  hurried  out  and  in  less  than  twenty  min 
utes  they  returned  to  find,  when  lighting  the  smoky, 
smelling  coal  oil  lamps,  that  several  of  the  faith 
ful  worshipers  had  already  arrived.  Finishing  the 
task  of  illuminating  the  Army  Hall,  George, — for 
that  was  Toledo  Red's  name, — turned  to  Jere  and 
said:  "  If  you  never  attended  one  o'  these  meetin's 
before  you'll  see  somethin'  if  you  stick  'round.  Sit 
back  there  in  the  corner  and  keep  your  mouth  shet 
and  your  glimmers  open.  Say  nothin'  'less  I  punch 
you.  I'll  sit  by  you  till  it's  time  to  make  the  Java 
fer  this  here  gang  what  plays  the  religious  game  to  git 
a  handout.  'Course  I  ain't  sayin'  they's  all  hyper- 
crites,  me  boy,  but  lots  o'  them  is.  Some  swell  rich 
folks  will,  no  doubt,  blow  in  this  evenin'  to  give  us  a 
talk.  Look  at  'em  close;  it  might  be  well  to  remem 
ber  their  faces." 

The  little  hall  began  to  fill  with  the  flotsam  and 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  15 

jetsam  of  the  city's  streets.  Most  of  the  people  were 
poorly  dressed  and  had  rough  countenances,  which 
were  made  more  uncouth  and  repellent  by  their  un 
tidy  and  wretched  clothing.  Here  and  there  were 
scattered  a  few  women, — many  of  them,  perhaps,  cap 
able  of  becoming  regenerate  Magdalenes  but  now  dis 
figured  by  the  continued  influence  of  vices.  In  one 
corner,  with  a  small  baby  in  her  arms,  sat  a  tubercu 
lar  looking  young  woman,  hectic  flushes  surmount 
ing  her  pallid  cheeks.  For  her  the  religious  service 
held  a  real  charm  and  benefit;  giving  her,  no  doubt, 
a  ray  of  hope  in  her  otherwise  cheerless  life.  Then, 
too,  the  after  service  luncheon  was  indeed  most  ac 
ceptable. 

Promptly  at  seven-thirty,  to  the  beating  of  drums 
and  the  swinging  of  tambourines,  the  little  army  band 
of  the  barracks  came  into  the  hall  followed  by  a  num 
ber  of  people  whom  they  had  attracted  at  a  near-by 
street  corner.  In  their  wake  came  two  young  fel 
lows,  smartly  but  gaudily  dressed.  "  Jiminy!  Kid," 
George  whispered,  "  Pike  off  those  two  dips  comin' 
in  here;  there's  no  leathers  in  this  bunch  worth 
goin'  to  jail  fer.  I  wonder  what  they's  doin'  'round 
here?" 

Before  Jere  had  a  chance  to  reply  there  came  the 
sound  of  the  brakes  on  a  limousine  in  front  of  the 
door,  and  there  came  in  two  women  past  middle-age, 
and  a  third  young  woman  who  was  about  twenty- 
five  years  old.  They  were  escorted  to  the  platform 
by  the  genial  Major, —  a  typical  Salvation  Army 
officer. 

The  two  matrons  felt  ill  at  ease  and  uncomfortable 


16  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

under  the  multitude  of  surreptitious  glances  that  were 
cast  upon  them  by  the  motley  crowd.  They  seemed 
thankful  to  be  safely  removed  from  a  personal  con 
tact  with  the  audience.  Gingerly  they  took  their 
chairs,  which,  as  a  matter  of  precaution,  they  first 
inspected  very  closely. 

"  Just  as  I  told  Jennie  before  we  started; — this  is 
what  we'd  find,"  Mrs.  Gerard  remarked  to  her  com 
panion;  "  but  the  child  would  come;  and  I  suppose 
we'll  have  to  go  through  this  ordeal  once  any  way." 

"  But,  mother,"  the  young  woman  interrupted, 
"  these  people  are  good  at  heart  even  if  they  do  be 
long  to  the  despised  of  the  world.  Did  not  Christ 
meet  and  associate  with  the  publicans  and  sinners?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  my  dear;  but  times  have  changed  since 
then;  and  don't  forget  the  Scriptures  likewise  say 
for  us  not  to  cast  pearls  before  swine." 

While  this  conversation  took  place  George  noticed 
that  Jere  appeared  to  be  very  much  agitated  from 
some  cause  or  other,  and  asked:  "  What's  eatin'  ye, 
Kid?  Did  youse  never  see  any  swell  Janes  before? 
They's  the  real  stuff, — not  common  trash." 

'  Whereupon  Jere  replied,  "  I  believe  I'll  step  out 
for  awhile  and  have  a  few  whiffs  at  a  coffin  nail;  I'm 


some  nervous." 


"  Sit  right  tight  where  you  are,  you  young  fool; 
this  ain't  no  time  to  be  goin';  the  meetin'  '11  begin 
soon;  besides  everybody  will  guy  you  if  you  vamoose 


now." 


'  Yes,  I  know  that's  so;  but  I  want  to  go,"  Jere 
stammered. 
"  No  thin'  doin';  you  can't  go;  you're  goin'  to  stay 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  17 

right  here;  and  you'd  better,  too;  "  he  added  with  a 
knowing  look. 

This  retort  silenced  all  objections.  The  Major 
arose,  and  called  out  the  title  of  the  song  for  the 
opening  of  the  meeting,  stating  that  after  the  sing 
ing  of  "  Rescue  the  Perishing,  "  Miss  Jennie  Gerard 
would  address  the  audience.  He  then  requested  the 
assembly  to  bow  their  heads  in  prayer  while  he  in 
voked  the  divine  blessing  in  a  short  and  stormy  sup 
plication. 

An  anaemic  wisp  of  a  girl  accompanied  the  singing 
of  the  song  on  a  squeaky,  asthmatic  organ.  Miss 
Gerard  was  then  introduced  by  the  Major  in  flowery 
words,  full  of  mixed  metaphors  and  similes  he  re 
peatedly  referred  to  her  as  the  "  Patron  Angel  of  the 
Mission,"  and  the  "  Mainspring  of  Its  Existence." 

The  young  lady,  with  but  little  embarrassment, 
briefly  acknowledged  her  introduction  and  began  to 
speak  in  a  distinct  manner,  giving  at  once  ample 
proof  of  her  refinement  and  culture. 

Miss  Gerard  was  of  medium  stature  and  a  bru 
nette  of  marked  type;  her  features  were  regular 
and  of  Grecian  mold;  she  had  a  slender,  girlish  figure, 
and  was  dressed  unostentatiously  in  a  gray  tailored 
suit. 

Her  physical  beauty,  combined  with  the  beauty  of 
character,  exerted  a  mesmeric  influence, — an  uncon 
scious  power  on  her  part, — to  hold  the  audience. 
She  was  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  X.  While 
there  she  became  interested  in  practical  sociology. 
According  to  her  mother's  opinion  she  had  too  many 
radical  ideas  concerning  the  submerged  tenth.  Jen- 


18  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

me  was  filled  with  a  burning  desire  to  really  do  some 
thing  for  the  down-trodden;  so  she  had  become,  while 
still  a  student,  a  college  settlement  worker. 

Her  studies  had  taught  her  that  the  serious  strug 
gle  between  capital  and  labor  has  a  disastrous  effect 
on  the  poor;  that  their  strength  is  undermined  and 
devitalized  by  the  fierce  struggle  for  existence.  The 
sweatshops  systems  which  employ  women  and  chil 
dren  and  pay  hardly  sufficient  wage  to  buy  food  and 
clothing  were,  to  her,  one  of  the  many  examples  of 
our  faulty  industrial  systems.  She  believed  that 
many  of  the  children  of  the  extemely  poor  are  born 
into  the  world  defective  in  mind  and  body  and  are 
received  into  the  environments  of  poverty  to  be 
surrounded  by  ignorance  and  crime.  Even  the  be 
nign  influences  of  proper  food  and  clothing  are 
denied  them.  Their  opportunities  for  mental  and 
moral  education  are  destroyed  in  their  struggles 
against  the  fierce  greed  of  commercialism.  These 
facts  were  so  indelibly  impressed  upon  her  conscience 
that  she  was  determined  to  ameliorate,  as  far  as  she 
could,  these  conditions  which  produce  social  as 
phyxia.  She  was  not  possessed  of  Pharisaical,  hypo 
critical  pretenses,  the  characteristic  of  a  few  social 
workers  and  reformers. 

Miss  Gerard's  extreme  interest  in  the  poor  almost 
distracted  her  fashionable  mother  who  was  entirely 
out  of  sympathy  with  the  daughter's  ideas.  Mrs. 
Gerard  was  a  devout  communicant  of  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral  and  rarely  failed  to  attend  divine  services. 
The  beautiful  church,  its  grand  altars,  the  vested 
choir,  the  solemn  ritual,  the  precision  and  order  of 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  19 

of  the  entire  service  made  a  powerful  appeal  to  her 
esthetic  temperament.  The  sordid  and  low  condi 
tions  of  life,  induced  by  poverty,  did  not  in  the  least 
arouse  sympathy  within  her. 

Jennie  Gerard's  words  were  of  real  hope  and  en 
couragement;  and,  though  she  made  no  attempt  at  a 
sermon,  she  admonished  her  hearers  in  a  gentle  and 
persuasive  way  to  strive  to  rise  above  the  impeding 
and  hope-destroying  circumstances  of  their  lives. 
She  deplored  the  fact  that  a  great  many  of  the  lower 
strata  of  society  were  handicapped  from  their  birth 
and  early  childhood  by  adverse  environments  and 
oppressive  economic  conditions. 

In  connection  with  these  remarks  she  related  the 
incident  of  the  robbery  which  Jere  had  committed 
that  afternoon.  In  reciting  the  episode  she  stated 
that  she  was  really  sorry  for  the  young  man,  as  she 
was  sure  he  did  not  belong  to  the  so-called  criminal 
class.  He  was,  no  doubt,  a  misguided  youth  whom 
fate  and  misfortune  had  robbed  of  a  proper  home  and 
a  good  training.  The  loss  of  the  purse  and  its  con 
tents  was  not  a  source  of  regret  to  her  so  much  as  the 
fact  that,  by  his  successful  theft,  the  youthful  thief 
might  be  tempted  to  keep  on  his  downward  road  of 
crime  and  eventually  come  to  a  bitter  end.  She 
added  that  she  would  actually  be  glad  if  she  could 
find  the  culprit; — not  from  a  spirit  of  retaliation  or 
even  to  regain  her  loss;  but  that  she  might  talk  to 
him,  and,  if  possible,  convince  him  of  the  danger  of 
the  path  he  had  begun  to  pursue. 

During  the  recital  of  the  story  of  the  theft  Jere 
was  extremely  uncomfortable;  his  cheeks  were  al- 


20  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

most  guilty  of  a  blush  of  shame  as  he  thought  of  the 
purse-snatching, — the  low,  sordid,  mean  act  he  had 
committed,  and  the  extreme  fright  and  shock  which 
he  had  given  this  kind-hearted  social  missionary  of 
the  city's  slums.  His  regrets,  however  real,  were  not 
greater  than  his  fears  that  she  might  recognize  him. 
The  vision  of  the  jail  yawning  for  its  prey  passed 
before  him;  he  saw  the  wheels  of  justice  grinding 
swiftly  and  pictured  himself  a  convicted  thief  pay 
ing  the  penalty  for  his  crime.  He  shuddered  so  per 
ceptibly  that  his  companion  noticed  him  and  asked: 
"  What's  the  matter  wid  ye?  Got  the  ager?  The 
hot  coffee  which  I'll  dish  out  shortly  will  warm  ye 
up,  pal." 

It  seemed  to  Jere  that  while  Miss  Gerard  was 
speaking  she  was  continuously  looking  at  him  and 
through  him;  and  that  she  read  his  guilty  conscience. 
He  was  glad  indeed  when  she  had  finished. 

After  a  few  commendatory  remarks  upon  the  able 
address  the  Major  invited  those  so  inclined  to  give 
their  testimony  as  to  their  various  reformations 
which  had  been  effected  by  the  work  of  the  Mission. 
After  two  or  three  minutes  of  painful  silence  a  shab 
bily  dressed,  unkempt,  middle-aged  man  arose. 
In  a  thick  raucous  voice  he  related  how  he  had  been 
turned  to  honesty  from  a  life  of  inebriety  and  crim 
inality  of  the  most  dangerous  variety.  Several  of 
the  crowd  cleared  their  throats  and  a  faint  but  audi 
ble  murmur  ran  through  the  assembly.  As  he  sat 
down  a  fervent  "  God  bless  you!  "  was  rewarded  him 
by  the  Major  and  his  staff. 

"  Listen  to  that  old  hypocrite !  "  George  whispered 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  21 

to  Jere,  "  he's  tryin'  to  make  them  society  ladies 
believe  he's  been  a  bad  man  and  sure-enough  bur 
glar,  when  he's  only  a  common  sneak-thief.  His  own 
shadder  could  chase  him  down  the  alley.  Our  gang 
would  not  let  him  come  round  them,  for  he  was  only 
a  good-fer-nuthin'  stool-pigeon.  He  hangs  around 
here  only  to  git  somethin'  to  eat,  and  when  they  quits 
givin'  out  this  here  free  lunch  he'll  be  as  scarce  as  a 
frost  in  July." 

Another  "  living  testimony  "  to  a  saving  power 
rose,  and  in  monotone  speech  recited  how  he,  too,  had 
once  trod  the  path  of  sin  and  had  been  a  terror  to  the 
law-abiding  community.  He  recounted  numerous, 
notorious  robberies  ostensibly  committed  by  him, 
closing  his  story  by  saying:  "  Thank  the  Lord,  I'm 
on  my  way  to  heaven  now."  His  efforts  were  ac 
knowledged  by  several  "  Amens  "  from  the  members 
of  the  army,  and  one  of  them  in  a  shrill,  strained 
voice,  began  to  sing,  "  Just  as  I  am  without  one  plea." 

George  again  nudged  Jere  and  said,  "  If  this 
don't  beat  all;  that  gink  never  swiped  anything  more 
than  a  jitney  bag  of  peanuts  in  his  life,  and  then  gits 
up  and  palms  hisself  off  as  a  fust-class  peterman. 
I  am  goin'  to  go  an'  get  the  eats  ready.  Now  don't 
blow  away  while  I'm  gone;  you'll  stay  here  with  me 
tonight;  I'll  fix  it  up  all  right  wid  de  big  boss." 

A  sickly,  faded  and  jaded  looking  female,  a  former 
habitue  of  the  red  light  district,  arose  and  in  semi- 
audible,  staccato  speech  asserted :  "  I  was  saved  in 
this  very  mission  hall  seven  months,  seven  days  and 
seventeen  hours  ago,  and  am  glad  to  testify  that  I 
am  still  standing  on  the  rock  of  salvation." 


22  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

After  a  few  words  the  Major  closed  the  meeting, 
inviting  all  to  stay  for  the  free  lunch.  Of  course, 
the  distinguished  guests  of  the  evening  departed 
at  once,  the  Major  gallantly  escorting  them  to  their 
waiting  machine.  When  all  the  remaining  souls,  or 
rather,  hungry  stomachs  had  been  fed  they,  one  by 
one,  passed  out  into  the  night — Whither? 

George  took  the  Major  aside  and  stated  that  he 
had  seen  Jere  pass  early  in  the  evening,  and  that  he 
had  noticed  the  worn  and  worried  look  on  the  boy's 
face.  "  I  found  that  he  was  on  his  uppers  with  no 
place  to  flop  and  nuthin'  to  eat;  so  I  invited  him  in 
here,  knowin'  you  wouldn't  care,  Major,  for  it  might 
be  the  savin'  of  the  poor  lad's  soul,"  he  shrewdly 
added,  fully  realizing  the  value  of  this  bit  of  moral 
bait.  In  truth,  the  Major  was  delighted  with  this 
display  of  the  man's  humanity  to  man,  coming  from 
one  who  himself  had  once  been  a  menace  to  the 
peace  of  society.  Jere  was  heartily  welcomed  by  the 
Major  and  bidden  to  make  himself  fully  at  home;  he 
added  that  perhaps  in  the  next  few  days  some  suitable 
employment  could  be  found.  With  a  friendly 
"  Good  night  "  the  Major  departed.  No  sooner  had 
the  last  echoes  of  his  retreating  footsteps  died  away 
than  George  threw  off  his  holiness  mask,  and  taking 
off  his  coat  also,  asked  Jere:  "Have  you  got  the 
makin's,  Kid?  I'm  actually  hungry  for  an  inhale  or 
two  meself.  Say,  what  made  you  want  to  go  out 
and  take  a  smoke  so  bad  when  the  meetin'  started? 
You  acted  queer  all  evenin';  come,  clean.  You 
know  I'm  square;  may  be  I  can  steer  you  right  if 
you  are  on  the  wrong  track." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  23 

Jere  tossed  his  host  a  small  pouch  of  tobacco  and 
fumbled  in  his  pockets  for  some  cigarette  papers. 

"  Well,  Red,  le'me  tell  ye,  I've  had  a  close  shave 
tonight." 

"  Gee!  you  doan  mean  gittin'  religion,  does  you?  " 
George  interrupted,  squinting  at  him  from  under 
neath  his  bushy,  gray  eye-brows. 

"  Naw!  go  'long!  I  doan  mean  that  at  all.  Ain't 
you  next?  I'm  the  guy  what  robbed  that  young  Jane 
what  spoke  tonight  and  told  all  about  me  '  moll- 
buzzin' '  her.  Every  time  she  put  her  lamps  on  me  I 
thought  the  stuff  was  off,  bo.  What  if  she  really  had 
tumbled  that  it  was  me?  Wonder  if  that  nice  talk, 
jess  wan  tin'  to  save  my  soul  would  have  held  true, 
or  would  the  old  mother-hen  that  was  with  her  have 
yelled  fer  a  copper.  Lord!  I'm  glad  they're  gone. 
Gimme  a  cup  of  that  black  drip  to  warm  up;  I'm 
really  chilled  all  over." 

"  Well,  I'll  be  damned,"  George  ejaculated.  "  If 
that  ain't  the  limit,  me  name  ain't  Toledo  Red  what's 
known  from  the  old  burg  Toledo  on  the  Maumee  to 
Kansas  City  as  the  best  soup  handler  that  ever 
cracked  a  jug;  an'  that  ain't  no  brags  either,  only  I 
don't  gets  up  in  prayer-meetin's  to  tell  folks  about 
it.  Well,  Kid,  put  'er  here,"  he  said,  extending  his 
maimed  hand;  "  *  The  Devil  is  good  to  his  own,' 
they  says,  an'  I  b'lieve  there's  some  truth  in  it. 
But,  look  here,  don't  let  your  jaw  drop  on  the  floor 
now;  the  fire's  out.  She  didn't  pike  you  off,  an'  she 
can  afford  to  lose  that  bit  o'  change.  They's  more 
where  that  come  from.  Don't  I  know  her  dad  well? 
Well,  I  reckon;  he's  the  boss  of  the  13th  ward,  an'  a 


24  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

hell-cat  of  a  gink  he  is.  Big  church  member  on  Sun 
days,  an'  durin'  the  week, — O  Lord!  We  is  angels 
compared  to  him.  He  owns  the  leaky  shanty  next 
door  an'  several  dumps  in  the  tenderloin  district.  He 
never  looks  where  the  money  comes  from.  All  he 
wants  is  for  it  to  come,  the  more  the  merrier,  an'  he 
don't  give  a  dang  how  it  was  got  either. 

"  I'm  really  sorry  fer  the  gal,"  he  added,  after  a 
moment  of  thought,  "  for  she's  got  a  good  heart  and 
would  be  a  good  sort  if  she  belonged  to  our  class;  but 
she  is  the  victim  of  the  wrong  system.  Want  another 
cup  of  Java?  No?  Well,  Kid,  you  jess  can  thank 
your  lucky  stars  that  you  blowed  in  here  today;  it's 
goin'  to  be  the  makin'  of  ye;  mind  what  I  says.  If 
any  one  can  put  you  hip  to  the  world  and  its  funny 
ways,  old  George  kin,  you  betcher  life.  You's  ain't 
sleepy,  air  ye?  Well,  let  me  tell  you  a  bit  of  me  life 
an'  you'll  see  that  you've  run  up  agin  the  right  party 
to  put  you  wise,  me  boy,  to  some  money-gettin' 
stunts." 


CHAPTER  III 

PRECEPTOR  AND  PUPIL  IN  CRIME 

The  campaign  between  the  reform  and  wet  ele 
ment  of  the  city  was  sizzling  hot  and  the  heat  of  the 
contest  waxed  even  hotter  as  the  election  day  ap 
proached.  As  a  consummating  blow  to  the  liberal 
party  a  new  revelation  of  graft  and  wickedness  in 
high  places  again  stirred  the  city  and  the  daily  papers 
aired  the  latest  sensational  scandal  of  police  corrup 
tion.  In  flaring  headlines  there  was  printed: 

ANOTHER  THIEF  UNMASKED! 

GUNMEN    CHARGED    FOR   PROTECTION   TO 

WORK  THEIR  NEFARIOUS  CRIMES  ON 

THE  LONG  SUFFERING  PUBLIC! 

Again  the  police  department  came  into  the  public 
limelight.  A  long  trusted  member  of  the  city's  de 
tective  force,  Patrick  Ryan,  had  been  killed  in  the 
tenderloin  district.  The  circumstances  attending  the 
crime  conclusively  proved  that  the  deceased  had  been 
a  most  unprincipled,  double-dealing  police  officer 
and  an  ex-convict,  whose  past  record  of  crimes  was 
sufficient  to  stamp  him  as  one  of  the  most  daring  and 
desperate  bank  robbers  the  country  had  ever  known. 
He  was  no  less  than  Big  Riley,  the  "peterman" 
(bank  robber),  whose  name  was  once  familiar  to  all 
the  police  headquarters  of  the  metropolitan  cities  in 
the  United  States  and  even  in  some  parts  of  Europe. 


26  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

It  had  been  his  practice,  in  the  jargon  of  the  under 
world,  "to  shake  down  "  the  crooks, — meaning  to 
extort  a  heavy  percentage  of  their  profits  from  thiev 
eries  and  hold-ups,  for  protection.  Those  who  dared 
to  refuse  him  found  it  urgently  necessary  to  leave  the 
city  or  find  themselves  in  the  toils  of  the  law. 

While  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  Ryan  demanded 
of  a  former  "  pal,"  a  bank  robber,  an  unusually  large 
tribute.  The  old  companion  and  accomplice  re 
fused  to  pay  the  money  and  thereupon  followed  a 
physical  struggle,  resulting  in  the  death  of  the  officer. 
The  sympathy  of  the  criminal  fraternity  was  with 
the  slayer,  since  he  had  been  used  unfairly  by  his  one 
time  confederate. 

Editorials  of  a  sarcastic  nature  concerning  this 
episode  were  printed  in  the  daily  papers.  The  graft 
of  the  police  officials  was  denounced  in  bitter  terms 
in  the  homes,  the  clubs  and  churches.  A  new  im 
petus  was  given  to  the  better  citizens  to  strive  the 
harder  to  eliminate  the  wickedness  that  threatened 
their  fair  city.  Likewise  the  startling  disclosure  re 
ceived  its  full  discussion  and  attention  by  the  pariahs 
and  human  wolves  of  the  city. 

That  Friday  evening,  while  George  and  Jere  were 
partaking  of  the  liquid  cheer  and  lunch  at  Dinty's 
club,  Fred  Sanderson,  some  time  called  "  Lone  Wolf," 
came  in.  This  title  was  given  him  by  the  followers 
of  Ali  Baba  for  the  reason  that  he  always  worked 
alone  and  never  mingled  with  the  pack  in  his  treas 
ure-seeking  escapades.  As  he  advanced  toward  the 
table  at  which  the  pair  was  seated,  he  intently  eyed 
Jere  from  head  to  foot  with  a  cold,  steely  stare,  under 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  27 

which  our  youthful  thief  squirmed  uneasily.  George 
drew  a  neighboring  chair  to  their  table  and  invited 
Sanderson  to  join  them.  He  then  introduced  Jere. 

"  Here's  a  new  pal;  he's  on  the  square  and  wants 
to  learn  the  game.  He's  pulled  off  enough  stunts  in 
the  last  two  weeks  to  prove  that  he's  all  right  and  can 
be  fully  trusted." 

Jere's  face  beamed  with  joy  under  this  profuse 
praise  and  compliment  and  he  inwardly  swelled  with 
pride  that  he  should  become  the  acquaintance  of 
such  an  luminary  of  the  criminal  world.  While 
Sanderson  trusted  George,  a  friend  to  whom  he  owed 
his  life  and  an  eternal  debt  of  gratitude,  his  suspicions 
were  still  not  fully  allayed,  for  he  was  the  least  bit 
fearful  that  the  young  man  might  be  a  "mouthpiece" 
for  the  detective  force.  But  since  he  had  little  to  say 
that  might  be  of  incriminating  nature  or  of  any  serv 
ice  to  a  stool  pigeon  to  transmit  farther,  Sanderson 
freely  spoke  his  mind. 

In  turn,  Sanderson  was  the  object  of  superficial  in 
spection  by  Jere,  who  failed  to  perceive  the  intimate 
characteristics  of  this  prince  of  thieves.  He  was  a 
tall,  close-knit,  well-muscled  individual.  His  jet 
black  hair, — slightly  curled,  was  here  and  there 
sprinkled  with  streaks  of  gray  which  were  especially 
prominent  at  the  temples.  His  forehead  was  high; 
his  nose  slightly  aquiline;  his  mouth  small  and  well 
formed;  regular  teeth  were  in  evidence  when  his  thin 
bloodless  lips  were  parted  in  a  cynical  smile.  Then, 
too,  there  was  a  clean  cut  jaw,  indicative  of  perti 
nacity  and  steadfastness  of  purpose.  A  careful  ob 
server  would  have  noted,  as  Sanderson  approached 


28  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  pair  at  the  table,  that  his  carriage  was  erect,  his 
step  elastic  and  quick,  that  might  well  become  a  mili 
tary  officer.  His  broad,  well-developed  shoulders 
were  covered  by  the  snugly  fitting  coat  of  his  fash 
ionable,  tailor-made  suit. 

As  Sanderson  toyed  with  his  whiskey  glass,  for  it 
was  this  beverage  that  he  occasionally  drank,  his 
slender,  shapely,  carefully  manicured  hands  stood 
out  in  marked  contrast  to  those  of  the  other  two  men. 
Indeed,  he  was  proud  of  them,  and  their  beauty  did 
not  at  all  indicate  weakness  for  in  a  physical  en 
counter  they  could  easily  be  transformed  into  a  vice 
of  steel.  Sanderson  was  a  graduate  of  an  Eastern 
University;  he  had  been  surrounded  with  every  ad 
vantage  and  social  opportunity  from  childhood. 
His  crimes  could  not  be  charged  to  an  evil  heredity 
or  to  poverty,  but  only  to  a  willful  prodigality  and 
viciousness.  While  at  the  University  he  was  given 
to  gambling,  debauchery  and  only  through  the  earn 
est  efforts  of  his  father,  a  man  prominent  in  financial 
circles,  was  he  permitted  to  finish  his  college  career. 

From  petty  crimes,  step  by  step,  he  became  a  pro 
fessional  criminal.  He  belonged  to  the  elite  of  the 
criminal  plutocracy;  all  his  depredations  were  based 
upon  skillfully  and  subtly  laid  plans.  They  were 
always  full  of  definite  purpose.  The  quick  acquisi 
tion  of  wealth  was  the  goal  and  motive  of  all  his 
crimes. 

His  habits  were  luxurious  and  extravagant.  Fre 
quently  he  visited  grand  opera;  was  a  patron  of  art 
and  literature;  and  an  ardent  admirer  of  Poe. 

He  keenly  enjoyed    Moliere's    Misanthrope;  the 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  29 

writings  of  cynical  and  morbid  authors  were  his  de 
light.  He  wrote  satires  upon  the  follies  of  society; 
he  contributed,  under  a  nom  de  plume,  weird  poems 
and  essays  to  critical  and  iconoclastic  magazines  and 
periodicals,  devoted  to  the  non-constructive  criti 
cism  of  the  times  and  people.  He  could  have  been 
styled  with  propriety  a  literary  Bohemian.  Versa 
tility  was  the  prominent  attribute  of  his  personality. 
He  found  it  easily  possible  to  adjust  himself  to  all 
conditions  and  classes.  He  oscillated  from  the  very 
dregs  of  society  to  the  company  of  distinguished 
members  of  the  metropolitan  clubs.  His  keen,  vig 
orous,  criminal  mind  enabled  him  to  cover  his  heart 
less  rascalities  with  a  cloak  of  respectability;  when 
ever  he  found  it  profitable,  he  conformed  in  a  nega 
tive  manner  to  the  conventions  of  society,  but  re 
garding  the  marriage  law  he  held  the  most  cynical 
views;  lacking  in  altruistic  qualities  he  performed  acts 
of  apparent  charity  to  the  lesser  lights  of  the  under 
world  for  the  hold  it  gave  him  over  them. 

When  a  second  round  of  drinks  was  ordered,  San 
derson  remarked  to  George,  "  I  suppose  you  have 
become  acquainted  with  the  tragedy  of  last  evening. 
While  murder  is  to  be  deplored  at  any  time,  De 
tective  Ryan  received  his  just  deserts.  He's  not 
been  on  the  square  for  some  time,  he  has  given  us  the 
double  cross  and  his  taxes  were  too  heavy  for  the 
average  'gun'  to  pay.  I  knew  sooner  or  later  it  was 
coming  to  him.  I  do  not  wonder  that  he  asked  so 
much  for  protection  since  he  was  able  to  get  it,  and 
was  he  not  upheld  by  the  chief  of  police  himself?  I 
tell  you,  George,  the  world's  crooked  from  the  top  to 


30  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  bottom  of  society.  I  know,  for  I  have  lived  at  all 
levels.  There  are  just  as  many  "unmugged"  crooks 
as  there  are  "mugged"  ones.  The  world  may  know 
these  unphotographed  grafters  as  political  bosses;  for 
instance,  as  a  mayor,  a  chief  of  police,  a  warden  of  a 
penitentiary,  a  city  contractor,  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  a  judge  in  the  courts,  but  we  so-called 
anti-social  devils  know  them  as  they  are,  for  haven't 
we  bought  them  at  their  price  when  we  had  the  money 
—  and  when  we  didn't  have  it,  they  were  saints  and 
deaf  to  our  pleas." 

To  all  this  George  silently  acquiesced,  nodding  his 
head  in  assenting  approval,  while  Jere  was  inspired 
by  this  contemptuous  attitude  toward  the  foibles  of 
mankind,  which  he  only  half  understood,  and  ardent 
ly  replied: 

"  I  always  felt  jess  like  you  says,  but  did  not  know 
how  to  say  it." 

George  quickly  telegraphed  a  look  of  approbation 
to  Sanderson,  as  much  as  to  say  that  the  young  fellow 
was  of  promising  proclivities. 

"  A  man  may  slave  and  save  in  this  so-called  hon 
est  pursuit  of  daily  hard  work,"  Sanderson  resumed, 
**  but  never  accumulate  a  competency." 

"  You're  right,  I  tried  it  once,"  George  inter 
jected. 

'  Yes,  after  years  of  hard  work  nothing  is  left;  life 
has  been  barren  of  pleasure  and  the  little  hoard, 
saved  up  for  a  rainy  day,  dwindles  rapidly  away 
under  the  pressure  of  poverty  or  misfortune.  I  pre 
fer  to  make  my  money  quickly.  There  is,  of  course, 
a  risk  involved  in  our  profession  and  so  there  is  in  all 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  31 

professions  and  vocations  of  life.  A  carpenter  may 
fall  from  the  roof,  that's  his  lookout.  We  may  feel 
the  clink  of  the  iron  bracelet  about  our  wrists,  if  so, 
our  stupidity  deserves  it.  There  has  been  implanted 
in  some  of  us  an  impulse  to  steal,  and  in  the  breasts 
of  others  there  is  the  desire  to  capture  and  imprison 
us. 

:<  The  robbers  of  the  bourse,  the  thieves  of  the 
watered  stock,  fleece  the  unwary,  and  the  capitalists 
think  there  is  law  only  for  the  rich  and  none  for  the 
poor.  If  I  forge  a  check,  steal  a  suit  of  clothes  to 
ward  off  the  winter's  chilly  blasts,  I  am  a  thief;  but 
if  I  sell  a  bit  of  worthless  real  estate  or  valueless  se 
curity  I  am  become  a  master  of  big  business.  But 
if  our  friend  Jere  holds  up  a  man  at  the  point  of  a 
gun  and  takes  away  his  money,  he  is  locked  up  in 
prison  as  a  menace  to  society.  If  you  steal  the  ac 
cumulation  of  a  lifetime  from  a  laboring  man  by 
misrepresentation  of  facts,  they  want  to  make  you  a 
deacon  in  the  church,  and  the  banks  are  ready  to 
lend  you  money  even  without  a  note.  Dodge  all 
your  taxes,  even  if  you  will  by  barefaced  perjury, 
and  a  minister  will  gladly  take  your  tainted  coin  and 
bless  it  at  the  communion  table. 

"  There  are  more  grafters  outside  of  prison  than 
there  are  on  the  inside.  A  capitalist,  by  hiring  a  good 
corporation  lawyer,  can  sail  through  the  rocks  and 
shoals  of  financial  laws  into  a  calm  sea  of  social  aris 
tocracy  and  big  influence.  There  are  enough  crimes, 
committed  under  the  name  of  big  business  that,  if  the 
perpetrators  were  caught  and  prosecuted,  their 
number  would  more  than  fill  the  penitentiaries  of  the 


32  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

state.  Our  society  breeds  its  criminals,  if  they  must 
be  called  such;  it  puts  the  poor  in  want,  and  shadows 
them  with  a  cloud  of  starvation,  and  yet  the  phari- 
sees  and  hypocrites  wonder  why  there  are  criminals. 
I  may  rob  the  rich  of  a  few  trifles,  but  they  rob  the 
poor  vastly  more.  I  steal  a  diamond  from  a  wealthy 
man  and  I  am  a  crook,  but  society  says  if  I  bankrupt 
him  in  a  slump  of  stocks  I  am  a  genius."  Excuse 
me,  boys,"  Sanderson  said,  as  he  paused  in  his  solilo 
quy,  "  I  was  just  thinking.  It  makes  my  blood  boil 
as  I  ponder  over  these  things.  I  guess  I  am  growing 
pessimistic." 

"  As  far  as  I  could  understand  those  big  words, 
that's  a  better  sermon  than  the  Major  could  preach. 
It  sounds  good  to  me!  "  George  approvingly  an 
swered  with  a  wink. 

Sanderson  resumed,  "  What's  new  in  the  old  town? 
I've  been  away  for  a  week  on  a  little  private  business 
and  only  returned  yesterday.  The  exigencies  of  our 
profession  sometimes  make  it  rather  difficult  to 
keep  abreast  with  the  times,  especially  when  one  is 
hiding  behind  a  sheltering  cloud;  circumstances  com 
pel  us  to  make  retreats  occasionally  which  are  more 
solitary  than  those  of  a  convent." 

George  replied,  "  There  is  nothing  new  except,  that 
this  here  reform  gang  is  makin'  such  a  holler  in  de 
papers  dat  it  is  hard  fer  a  guy  what's  on  the  level  to 
make  a  decent  livin'.  It's  harder  to  git  protection 
than  it  used  to  be  an'  these  fly  cops  wants  to  shake  a 
fellow  down  before  he  has  had  a  chance  to  make  any 
money  at  all. 

"  Crippled  as  I  am  in  me  right  wing,  I'd  have  a 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  33 

hard  time  of  it  if  it  weren't  for  the  Major,  who  gave 
me  a  job;  then  Jere  here,  has  made  a  few  good  clean 
ups  moll-muzzin',  an'  that  keeps  us  in  spendin' 
money.  But  the  kid's  too  good  a  boy  to  keep  work- 
in'  at  dat  game;  there  ain't  enough  dough  in  it  for 
the  chances  that  a  feller  takes  in  goin'  after  it." 

Here  Jere  interrupted,  "  Gee,  I  wish  I  could  git  in 
on  a  big  job  with  you  fellers  once!  " 

"  Maybe  you  can  sometime,  just  be  patient, 
there's  a  lot  to  learn  about  this  business,"  Sanderson 
condescendingly  replied. 

"By— the— way,  Fred,"  George  stated,  "  I  nearly 
forgot  to  tell  you  about  the  fancy  charity  ball  what's 
comin'  off  a  week  tonight  at  the  house  of  Banker 
Stratton  on  Ashland  Boulevard.  The  money  what 
they  makes  at  that  blow  out,  they're  goin'  to  give  to 
the  Major  for  the  remodeling  of  the  mission.  He 
gets  all  mushy  about  this  business,  and  knowing  that 
I'm  a  Christian  he  up  an'  gives  me  all  the  dope  about 
it,  fer  he  knows  I  wouldn't  tell  an'  really  I  ain't,  fer 
the  papers  done  got  hold  of  it  already  an'  have  big 
write-ups  'bout  this  here  sweet  charity  game.  An', 
believe  me,  dat's  all  gaff,  fer  the  folks  what  goes 
there  gets  every  bit  of  fun  out  o'  dat  business  fer 
every  darn  nickel  de  puts  into  it." 

"  Correct  you  are,  old  pal,  I  know  all  about  the 
affair,  though  as  yet  they  have  not  sent  me  an  em 
bossed  invitation,  but  I  know  they  will,  they're  al 
ways  so  careful  not  to  hurt  my  feelings,"  Sanderson 
ironically  responded. 

"The  big  Four  Hundred  will  be  there  and  it  is  ru 
mored  that  the  famous  pearl  necklace,  valued  at 


34  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

twenty-five  thousand  dollars  will  be  worn  by  a  Miss 
Darrell.  I  saw  it  at  Tiffany's  one  week  after  its  ar 
rival  from  Paris.  It's  a  real  beauty  and  a  little  job 
like  that  would  be  worth  any  man's  while.  You 
may  be  sure,  George,  I'll  attend." 

With  this  last  remark  he  left  his  companions  some 
what  abruptly.  He  made  his  home  in  an  exclusive 
section  of  the  city,  maintaining  an  elegant  suite  of 
rooms  in  an  apartment  house.  This  was  located  in 
the  high  rent  district,  where  neighbors  fraternized 
only  in  evening  dress  at  social  gatherings.  Thus 
living  in  the  midst  of  this  highly  conservative  com 
munity,  where  he  was  reputed  to  be  a  first-class  trav 
eling  man,  seldom  at  home,  it  was  easy  for  him  to 
elude  the  scrutiny  of  the  police  department,  which 
would  not  look  for  an  offender  in  such  quarters. 
When  the  sleuths  were  endeavoring  to  locate  thieves 
and  other  law  breakers,  Sanderson  remained  quietly 
in  his  apartments.  After  the  excitement  of  police 
activity  had  subsided  he  would  emerge  serenely  from 
his  self-appointed  retirement,  ready  for  a  new  crim 
inal  campaign. 

After  leaving  the  squalor  of  Dinty's  he  quickly 
walked  down  the  alley  and,  entering  a  main  thorough 
fare,  looked  about  for  a  public  conveyance.  Luck 
favored  him,  a  taxi  came  into  sight  and  he  hailed  it. 
Giving  the  chauffeur  his  address  he  carelessly  leaned 
back  on  the  cushions  and  lit  a  cigarette.  Shortly  he 
ascended  the  brown  marble  steps  leading  to  the  Al 
gonquin  Apartments  and  selecting  an  odd  key  from 
an  unusually  well-filled  ring,  he  let  himself  quietly 
into  the  building.  Entering  his  quarters  he  pressed 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  35 

a  button  and  the  room  became  flooded  with  a  mellow 
light.  The  lamp  that  was  most  conspicuous  was 
shaded  by  a  heavy  red  lambrequin  of  gilt-braided 
damask  silk,  the  pedestal  of  the  lamp  representing  a 
nude  figure  of  a  Moorish  girl  swinging  a  torch. 

Beside  the  massive  library  table  stood  a  revolving 
book  case,  well  filled  with  elegantly  leather  bound 
and  gilt-edged  books.  The  walls  were  decorated  with 
beautiful  copper  plate  etchings;  in  one  corner  stood  a 
cellarette,  made  from  the  finest  of  Circassian  walnut. 
This  piece  of  art  furniture  was  filled  with  wines  of 
the  1854  vintage  and  liquors  and  cordials  of  the  rar 
est  and  most  expensive  kind. 

The  exceptionally  thick,  brocaded  curtains,  ex 
cluding  the  light  from  without,  gave  the  room  the 
stamp  of  rare  elegance  and  exquisite  taste.  Sander 
son  stepped  into  the  adjoining  room,  which  was  also 
richly  furnished,  and  made  himself  comfortable  by 
donning  a  superb  silk-lined  smoking  jacket  and,  re 
moving  his  street  shoes,  he  put  on  a  pair  of  fine  Persian 
slippers.  On  returning  to  the  living  room  he  took 
from  the  table  a  heavily  engraved  silver  cigarette 
case;  selecting  one  of  the  perfumed  cigarettes  he 
slowly  puffed  wreaths  of  smoke  to  the  ceiling.  He 
then  walked  over  to  one  of  the  pictures  on  the  wall 
and  pressed  an  invisible  button,  the  location  of 
which  he  only  knew,  opened  a  panel  and  a  small  wall 
safe  was  disclosed.  With  deft  fingers  he  manipu 
lated  the  combination  and  the  miniature  vault  was 
open.  From  its  depths  he  withdrew  a  necklace 
made  of  imitation  pearls,  so  perfectly  wrought  that 
the  deception  was  discernible  to  a  connoisseur  alone. 


36  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

He  held  it  up  to  the  light,  then  let  it  fall  gently  upon 
the  sleeve  of  his  purple  velvet  coat,  and  finally  with 
out  a  comment  he  replaced  the  bauble,  effacing  all 
evidence  of  its  existence  as  well  as  its  hiding  place. 
With  a  sigh  of  complete  satisfaction  he  dropped  him 
self  into  a  near-by  chair  and  lighting  a  fresh  cigarette 
gave  himself  over  to  musings  and  dreams  as  hazy  and 
indefinite  as  the  blue  wreaths  of  smoke  emanating 
from  the  smouldering  roll  of  paper  between  this 
fingers. 

Finally,  he  murmured  to  himself,  "  Well,  I'm  glad 
I  had  that  New  York  jeweler  make  me  an  imitation 
model  of  that  pearl  necklace;  I  knew  it  would  come 
in  handy  some  time.  Here's  your  chance,  old  top, 
to  increase  your  exchequer,  and  what  fun  it  will  be 
to  have  everybody  stand  aghast  when  the  desperate 
robbery  is  discovered.  Pouring  himself  out  a  stiff 
glass  of  brandy  from  a  silver  mounted  decanter  on 
the  polished  top  of  the  cellarette,  he  poised  the  thin 
glass  in  mid-air  and  with  one  of  his  sinister  smiles  he 
said:  "  My  compliments,  Miss  Darrell." 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CITY  ELECTION 

The  telephone  on  the  flat  top  of  the  highly  polished 
mahogany  desk  rang  impatiently.  Joseph  Gerard 
yawned  and  cast  a  glance  at  the  beautiful  mission 
clock  which  stood  in  the  corner  of  his  office.  The 
hands  were  pointing  to  half -past  ten.  Gerard  was 
tired  and  sleepy;  a  dull  headache  reminded  him  of 
the  preceding  night's  political  meeting,  at  which  the 
thirsty  throats  of  the  politicians  had  been  liberally 
cooled  by  sparkling  icy  drinks.  Vigorously  the  bell 
rang  again  and  a  husky  voice  coming  over  the  wire 
inquired. 

"  Have  you  arranged  that  matter?  " 

:<  Not  yet." 

"  If  you  don't  get  at  it  at  once,  Blake  will  have  to 
run.  We  sat  up  all  night  and  you  promised  us  you 
would  attend  to  it." 

"  Give  me  two  hours'  time  and  I'll  find  you  the  best 

attorney  in  X ,  who'll  be  glad  to  get  on  our 

slate  and  one  who  is  anxious  to  rise  in  the  world." 

With  this  last  remark  to  the  Mayor  of  the  city, 
Gerard  wearily  hung  up  the  telephone  receiver  and 
settled  back  in  his  heavy,  leather-covered  chair. 

The  following  half  hour  was  given  over  to  reverie 
and  contemplation.  Name  after  name  of  possible 
candidates  for  the  office  of  city  attorney  passed 
through  his  mind,  and  to  every  one  there  seemed  to 


38  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

be  some  objection  or  obstacle.  This  lawyer  was  too 
honest  and  clean,  that  one  too  crooked,  the  third 
without  talent,  a  fifth  one  was  lacking  in  experience 
and  capacity.  Gerard  had  promised  the  Mayor  to 
find  a  suitable  attorney  to  complete  the  slate  they 
were  to  present  to  the  wide-open  element  of  the  town. 

The  present  Mayor  was  the  squarest  man  who  had 
ever  held  the  office.  Not  to  the  public,  but  to  the 
general  mass  of  crooks  and  yeggmen.  The  city  of 

X had  become  a  veritable  home,  a  Zoar,  for 

the  denizens  of  the  underworld  and,  unless  their 
crimes  were  of  the  most  desperate  character,  the 
money  they  paid  for  protection  always  guaranteed  a 
liberal  bath  of  immunity  and  whitewash.  The  pres 
ent  city  attorney  was  too  much  of  a  rascal;  by  that 
is  meant,  he  was  too  clumsy  in  the  performance  of 
his  crookedness  and  was  ever  a  continual  source  of 
worry  and  criticism  for  the  administration.  The 
corruptions  of  his  office  were  so  crude  as  to  invite 
constant  scandalous  airings  in  the  city  newspapers 
and  clubs. 

While  he  was  no  worse  than  the  ring  that  sought  to 
oust  him,  they  saw  in  his  candidacy  a  possible  defeat. 

The  long,  tiresome  meeting  of  the  night  before  had 
been  given  up  to  the  discussion  of  this  subject,  and 
just  about  daybreak  it  was  agreed  upon  by  the 
politicians  of  the  liberal  party  that  Blake,  for  that 
was  the  city  attorney's  name,  must  be  retired  into 
oblivion  and  that  a  man  who  would  be  supple  and 
pliant  in  the  hands  of  the  machine  must  be  found  to 
take  his  place  on  the  party  ticket  for  the  coming 
election. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  39 

The  friends  of  Blake  had  fought  hard  against  this 
proposed  change,  but  the  wisdom  born  of  political 
experience  finally  convinced  them  of  the  folly  of  al 
lowing  personal  friendship  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
victory  at  the  polls. 

Joseph  Gerard,  who  had  the  welfare  of  his  party 
at  heart,  volunteered  to  secure  a  capable  young  man 
who  would  be  willing  to  run  for  the  office; — one 
whose  character  was  still  unblemished,  who  could 
lend,  if  possible,  a  moral  tone  to  their  more  or  less 
besmirched  ticket.  He  had  promised  the  Mayor  to 
furnish  the  name  of  the  desired  candidate  by  ten 
o'clock  the  next  morning.  But  the  late  hours  he 
had  kept  the  night  before  made  slumber  sweet  and 
long,  and  when  the  appointed  time  had  arrived  he 
had  not  even  begun  the  search  for  the  young  barris 
ter  upon  whom  he  was  going  to  thrust  this  question 
able  honor. 

The  musical  chimes  of  the  clock  striking  the  hour 
of  eleven  startled  Gerard  from  the  musings. 

He  rose  from  his  chair,  put  on  his  hat  and,  reaching 
for  his  ebony  cane,  he  strode  through  the  outer  door 
of  his  office  into  the  hall  toward  the  elevator  shaft, 
not  knowing  exactly  where  he  was  going,  but  pos 
sessed  with  the  single  idea  to  secure  the  much-needed 
candidate.  He  had  but  one  hour  in  which  to  keep 
his  promise  and  he  realized  that  he  must  act  quickly. 
As  the  elevator  shot  past  the  third  floor  in  its  down 
ward  flight  he  caught  a  brief  glance  at  the  name  of  a 
young  lawyer  on  the  Florentine  glass  of  one  of  the 
office  windows.  The  idea  flashed  in  his  mind  that 
possibly  this  man  might  well  serve  as  a  candidate  for 


40  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  machine  organization.  He  signaled  the  car  to 
stop  at  the  second  floor  and  by  the  stairway  returned 
to  the  floor  above.  He  recalled  that  he  had  been 
introduced  to  the  young  barrister  at  the  city's  Com 
mercial  Club  and  the  first  impression  of  him  had  been 
pleasing. 

Little  did  Gerard  realize  as  he  read  the  name, 
Arthur  Kennington,  that  this  person  would  play  a 
most  eventful  part  in  his  future  career.  Had  he 
known  it,  he  would  have  turned  back  at  once  and 
thus  he  would  have  saved  himself  the  ignominy  of 
exposure.  Confidently  he  walked  into  the  reception 
room,  which  was  meagerly  furnished  and  not  filled 
with  waiting  clients. 

Just  as  he  was  taking  a  seat  he  was  welcomed 
into  the  private  office  by  a  cheery  "  Good  morning." 
Kennington  advanced  to  meet  him  and,  as  their  hands 
met  in  cordial  clasp,  the  elder  man  measured  his 
companion  from  head  to  foot,  noting  the  clean  cut, 
cultured  appearance,  which  indicated  considerable 
reserve  strength  and  power.  Inwardly  Gerard  said 
to  himself,  "  Here  is  just  the  man;  I  will  not  need  to 
go  farther."  The  young  man's  attitude  suggested 
decision,  firmness  and  strength,  and  Gerard  did  not 
fail  to  observe  these  indications  of  character.  On 
the  other  hand,  this  legal  tyro,  without  experience  in 
the  world  of  politics,  might  easily  fall  a  victim  to  de 
ceitful  wiles,  for  would  not  ambition  and  the  desire 
for  power  outweigh  the  decrees  of  Kennington 's 
judgments?  Upon  these  human  vanities  Gerard 
made  his  appeal  to  the  young  attorney.  The  idea 
had  no  sooner  crossed  his  mind  than  he  resolved 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  41 

to  act  upon  it,  and  he  began  the  conversation  by 
saying: 

"  Mr.  Kennington,  I  have  been  appointed  as  a 
committee  of  one  by  our  party  to  lay  an  important 
proposition  before  you,  and  it  must  be  acted  upon  at 
once." 

Without  betraying  his  surprise,  Kennington  asked, 
"  What  do  you  wish  of  me?  " 

"  I  regret  that  we  have  not  had  an  opportunity  to 
explain  this  matter  to  you  heretofore,  but  I  know  it 
will  meet  with  your  approval." 

'  Yes,  yes,  please  state  the  message  you  have  for 
me  and  explanations  may  follow  later." 

'  Well,  since  you  force  me  with  such  deliberate 
frankness  I  will  come  to  the  crux  of  the  matter  at 
once.  The  honorable  Mayor  and  his  private  ad 
visors  have  decided  to  place  your  name  as  a  candi 
date  for  city  attorney  upon  our  ticket.  It  is  a  win 
ning  ticket  and  you  cannot  afford  to  let  this  great  op 
portunity  go  by,  as  it  opens  the  door  for  you  to  pub 
lic  life,  for  achievement  and  success  in  your  chosen 
profession." 

Arthur  Kennington  was  indeed  astounded  at  this 
proposition.  He  had  dreamed  pardonable  dreams  of 
political  success,  of  clean  statesmanship;  but  little 
did  he  hope  in  his  obscurity  and  practical  poverty,  that 
the  avenue  to  his  fondest  ambitions  should  suddenly 
be  opened  to  him  without  slow,  painful  toil.  Before 
he  had  recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  speak,  Gerard 
graciously  demanded  an  answer  and  patronizingly 
patted  him  on  the  back,  remarking:  "  You're  not 
going  to  stand  in  your  own  light,  are  you?  " 


42  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Just  give  me  a  little  time  to  think." 

"  There's  no  need  for  any  lengthy  deliberation; 
will  you  accept  the  honor  that  has  been  offered  to 
you,  or  will  you  not?" 

As  abrupt  as  this  last  remark  seemed,  Gerard  had 
not  the  slightest  idea  to  withdraw  his  offer,  even 
though  some  argument  might  be  necessary  to  ac 
complish  his  mission. 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Gerard,  I  feel  it  to  be  an  exceed 
ingly  great  honor  to  be  asked  to  submit  my  name 
at  the  coming  election;  and,  before  answering  you, 
let  me  inquire  what  conditions  and  stipulations  are 
attached  to  the  acceptance  of  this  unusual  and  un 
expected  offer?" 

"  Why,  bless  you,  none  at  all,  my  young  man; 
after  hours  of  careful  deliberation  we  have  decided 
that  you  are  best  fitted  for  the  arduous  duties  of  city 
attorney.  This  important  position  requires  talent, 
brain  power,  LOYALTY,  and  an  ability  to  distin 
guish  between  sentimental  gush  and  practical  con 
ceptions  concerning  the  duties  of  district  attorney, 
and  these  qualifications  we  think  you  possess  to  a 
marked  degree." 

Kennington  quickly  reviewed  the  whole  situation 
in  his  mind  and  he  indeed  was  puzzled  to  understand 
the  extremely  unique  offer  that  had  been  made  to  him. 
He  had  been  pressed  for  an  immediate  answer;  it 
was  clear  to  him  that  the  proposition  must  be  turned 
down  at  once,  or  promptly  accepted.  Time  for  de 
liberation  and  consideration  was  out  of  question. 

"  Since  you  have  stated  that  there  are  no  stipula 
tions  or  binding  agreements  to  be  made,  I  agree  to  be 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  43 

a  candidate  for  the  office  of  city  attorney,"  he  re 
marked. 

Gerard  was  so  highly  elated  over  the  success  of  his 
mission  that  he  could  hardly  wait  to  communicate 
the  news  to  the  Mayor's  office.  He  had  found  an 
aspirant  for  political  honors,  and  while  practically  un 
known  there  were  no  scandals  connected  with  his 
name.  The  young  lawyer  would,  no  doubt,  prove 
pliant  in  the  hands  of  the  city  fathers;  and  this  par 
ticular  quality  of  character  was  held  to  be  a  great 
asset  for  those  who  served  the  public.  Taking  the 
young  man  by  the  hand,  he  warmly  thanked  him  for 
the  acceptance  of  the  candidacy.  Then,  handing 
his  card  to  Kennington,  he  said: 

"  I  shall  expect  to  have  the  pleasure  of  your  com 
pany  tonight  at  seven  o'clock  dinner  with  my  wife 
and  daughter.  I  know  you  will  not  disappoint  us." 
With  this  remark  he  promptly  stepped  out  of  the 
office,  before  Kennington  had  a  chance  to  reply, 
leaving  the  young  lawyer  dumfounded  over  the 
whole  proceedings. 

The  successful  termination  of  Gerard's  visit  was 
promptly  telephoned  to  the  Mayor's  office. 

Kennington  was  a  graduate  of  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  the  son  of  a  good,  but  now  impoverished 
family,  who  had  lost  their  wealth  in  a  slump  of  the 
stocks  in  the  market.  He  was  thirty-two  years  of 
age.  He  had  taken  many  prizes  at  Harvard  and 
was  first  in  his  class.  He  had  devoted  a  great  deal 
of  study  and  attention  to  criminal  law,  and  thoroughly 
believed  in  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  criminals. 
To  him  protection  of  society  came  first,  and  the  wel- 


44  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

fare  of  the  criminal  second.  He  was  firmly  con 
vinced  that  punishment,  swift  and  certain,  would 
materially  reduce  crime  and  that  errors,  delays  and 
subterfuges  of  the  law  should  be  eliminated  from  the 
court  practices.  His  conception  of  the  penal  law 
demanded  that  all  violators,  whether  high  or  low, 
should  serve  the  penalty  for  their  crimes  without  fear 
or  favor.  Immunity  and  whitewash  were  unknown 
quantities  to  him. 

The  campaign  that  preceded  the  election  was  one 
of  the  most  bitter  the  city  had  ever  known.  Mud- 
slinging,  ranting  and  ridicule  were  more  often  em 
ployed  in  the  campaign  speeches  than  were  logic, 
reason  and  judgment.  The  grafters,  the  saloon  men, 
the  violators  of  the  liquor  law,  the  bosses  of  the 
redlight  district  and  the  powers  that  prey  upon  the 
public  tax  coffers  fought  a  frenzied  fight  to  maintain 
their  ascendency  and  control  in  the  administration 
of  the  city  government.  To  them  defeat  at  the  polls 
spelled  ruin.  It  meant  exposure  and  possibly  im 
prisonment  to  many. 

For  the  human  vultures  who  prey  on  the  women  of 
the  underworld  it  presaged  an  acquaintance  with 
manual  toil  or  a  visit  to  the  "  rock-pile."  The  lib 
eral  party  determined  to  win  at  any  cost.  To  them 
honor  and  fairness  were  empty  words  to  be  used 
in  prayer-meeting  and  churches  only,  but  nowhere 
else. 

The  reform  element  indeed  had  the  greatest  cause 
for  a  vigorous,  active  campaign:  the  present  city 
officials  were  corrupt;  the  dens  of  vice  flourished;  the 
quicksands  of  iniquity  claimed  many  of  the  sons  and 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  45 

daughters  of  the  city's  best  families.  Crime  was 
rampant.  Crooks  ruled  the  police  courts.  Neither 
life  nor  pocketbook  were  safe.  The  enmity  was  in 
tense  and  violently  partisan;  on  several  occasions  the 
speakers  of  the  conservative  element  were  threatened 
with  physical  violence  in  anonymous  letters. 

As  Kennington  viewed  the  situation  he  began  to 
secretly  wish  that  his  name  might  be  withdrawn  from 
the  ticket.  He  was  actually  ashamed  to  be  allied 
with  the  corrupt  crowd  whose  company  was  forced 
upon  him  by  virtue  of  his  candidacy.  But  he  had 
"  layed  his  hand  on  the  plow  "  and  he  could  not  turn 
back;  and,  since  this  was  the  case,  he  resolved  within 
himself,  should  he  be  elected  to  the  office  of  district 
attorney,  that  he  would  be  the  master  of  his  own 
mind  and  conscience.  Strenuous  prosecution  would 
be  the  fate  of  all  evil  doers.  Whether  this  resolution 
led  him  over  rocky  paths  or  not,  it  mattered  little  to 
him.  Having  once  made  up  his  mind  he  always 
clung  to  his  decisions  with  a  firmness  and  tenacity 
akin  to  fatalism. 

The  election  day  on  Tuesday,  November of 

the  year  19 — ,  was  a  gray,  bleak,  dismal  day.  The 
chilly  winds  from  off  the  rough,  white-capped  waters 
of  the  Lake  pierced  one  to  the  marrow.  The  slight, 
drizzling  mist  of  the  early  morning  was  changed  into 
a  cold,  sprinkling  rain.  But  the  atmospheric  condi 
tions  did  not  in  the  least  dampen  the  ardor  of  the 
partisans.  The  heat  of  the  conflict  warmed  them. 
Prejudice  and  hatred  so  permeated  their  beings  that 
the  inclemencies  of  the  weather  were  but  matters  of 
little  concern. 


46  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

In  the  poor  districts  of  the  city  there  were  to  be 
found  loafing  about  the  polls  the  men  who,  on  other 
than  election  days,  eke  out  a  miserable  existence  in 
the  rear  end  of  saloons  doing  small  errands  and  menial 
chores  for  an  uncertain  and  meager  charity  of  more 
or  less  genial  bar-keepers. 

Today,  however,  they  believed  themselves  to  be 
powerful  factors  in  the  selection  of  the  public  ser 
vants,  and  truly  they  were.  But  when  the  die  had 
been  cast,  election  day  over,  they  were  seen  to  sneak 
back  to  their  retreats,  regretting  that  elections  do 
not  come  more  frequently.  To  them,  selling  their 
votes  was  an  accomplishment;  and  he  indeed  was  a 
poor  worker  for  his  party  who  could  not  receive  at 
least  five  prices  in  one  day. 

This  was  the  day  for  the  sluggers  and  henchmen 
of  Gerard  to  intimidate  the  voters  who  dared  think 
for  themselves.  These  social  scavengers,  who  feed 
on  the  husks  of  political  bribery,  were  instrumental  in 
starting  riots  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  Many 
honest  voters  were  slugged,  arrested  and  placed  in 
the  city  jails  until  the  voting  hour  was  past,  thus 
crippling  the  strength  of  the  conservative  party. 
Bitter  fights  and  bloodshed  occurred  in  many  dis 
tricts,  and  yet  the  police  made  no  arrests. 

Good  people  clamored  at  the  jails  for  bondsmen 
and  release.  Their  appeals  were  delayed  or  ignored 
until  the  polls  were  closed,  and  then  angry  disgruntled 
crowds  were  released  from  their  temporary  imprison 
ment  and  curtly  informed  that  they  were  lucky  to 
escape  so  lightly  from  the  toils  of  the  law  for  disturb 
ing  the  peace  and  order  at  the  polls.  Unfairly  as 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  47 

they  were  treated,  they  were  without  redress  or 
justice. 

All  day  long  the  saloons  had  been  closed, — that  is, 
in  front, — while  in  the  rear  a  stream  of  purchased 
voters  had  gone  in  and  out  continuously,  refreshing 
themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  party.  In  several 
wards  corruption  ruled  supreme,  ballots  were  mu 
tilated  and  thrown  out,  the  returns  were  slow  and 
contested.  .  .  . 

The  liberal  party  had  won.  The  next  morning  a 
foreboding  gloom  prevailed  over  the  city,  especially 
among  the  good  citizens,  while  the  underworld  rev 
elled  in  orgies,  and  wanton  hilarity  abounded  because 
of  their  fraudulently  achieved  victory. 

A  new  era  of  political  depravity  had  been  entered 
upon.  But  there  was  one  cog  in  the  newly  elected 
city  machinery,  in  the  personality  of  the  prosecuting 
attorney,  Kennington,  who  was  fated  to  bring  about 
disorder  and  disaster  in  the  ranks  of  the  victors. 

Gerard  believed  thoroughly  in  the  old  adage,  "  To 
the  victor  belongs  the  spoils."  To  him  victories 
were  empty  honors  unless  the  fruits  could  be  en 
joyed;  and  with  these  ideas  in  mind  he  proceeded  to 
the  office  of  the  new  prosecuting  attorney  on  the  first 
day  the  latter  had  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  his 
position.  Gerard  had  carefully  laid  his  plans;  he 
decided  he  might  as  well  break  the  ice  in  the  begin 
ning  of  the  administration  as  later.  Kennington 
must  be  made  to  understand  the  debt  of  gratitude  he 
owed  the  Mayor  and  his  cohorts.  They  had  been 
schooled  in  politics  and  in  the  affairs  of  the  city  gov 
ernment.  This  young  novice  must  be  taught  to 


48  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

tread  the  paths  that  were  marked  out  for  him.  The 
lesson  was  to  be  given  as  gently  as  possible,  but 
knowledge  necessarily  had  to  be  imparted.  With  a 
cordial,  "  Good  morning! "  Gerard  walked  into 
Kennington's  office,  where  he  found  the  young  man 
pouring  over  some  legal-looking  documents. 

"  Not  on  the  job  already?  " 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Gerard,  be  seated;  I  am 
glad  to  see  you,"  Kennington  replied. 

"  My  boy,  don't  start  in  the  work  so  vigorously; 
you'll  find  enough  to  do  before  you  get  through,  with 
out  looking  for  it." 

"  Yes,  but  at  least  I  will  enjoy  some  respite  from 
my  duties  while  you  are  here,"  the  young  attorney 
pleasantly  rejoined. 

"  I  have  just  a  little  information  to  impart  to  you 
and  I  know  you'll  not  consider  me  impertinent  for 
doing  so.  The  affairs  of  this  office  have  always 
moved  along  smoothly  and  quietly  and  I  am  satis 
fied  it  is  your  purpose  to  follow  in  the  steps  of  your 
predecessor.  Tommyrot  nonsense  and  sentimental 
ity  were  not  in  his  makeup.  His  shrewd  mind  let 
him  rely  upon  that  sensible  old  motto,  "  The  easiest 
way  is  the  best." 

Kennington  reddened  very  perceptibly  at  these 
last  remarks,  and  the  elder  man  was  not  slow  to  notice 
this  evidence  of  emotional  disturbance,  and  in  a 
conciliatory  tone  he  continued : 

'  You  may  be  depended  upon  to  do  your  duties 
as  you  see  them.  But  I  know  that  you  will  not  re 
sent  the  kindly  advice  which  I  came  to  give  you  in  a 
fatherly  way." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  49 

Kennington's  jaw  closed  tightly  and  he  turned  di 
rectly  to  the  boss  of  the  thirteenth  ward  and  quietly 
but  firmly  said:  "  I'll  be  pleased  to  hear  what  you 
have  to  say,  Mr.  Gerard." 

The  young  man's  attitude  told  Gerard  that  he 
must  proceed  cautiously. 

"  You  know  very  well  by  the  court  docket  that 
those  fanatical  reformers  have  had  the  presumption 
to  have  Benson  arrested  on  some  petty-fogging 
charge  about  the  election  deal.  Now  let  me  tell  you 
he  was  the  most  liberal  contributor  to  our  campaign 
fund,  and  he  worked  like  a  Trojan  to  put  our  ticket 
across;  and,  if  it  does  appear  like  flattery,  I  might 
add  that  he  is  extremely  interested  in  you  and  your 
future.  These  prayer-meeting  dubs  and  suffragette 
ladies'  clubs  have  to  know  that  they  can't  run  things 
and  have  the  city's  respected  citizens  hauled  into 
court  by  some  private  fool-detective. 

Though  Kennington  readily  detected  what  Gerard 
was  going  to  demand  of  him,  he  played  for  time  by 
asking:  "  Well,  what  is  it  you  wish  of  me?  " 

"  Very  simple;  you're  the  prosecutor,  are  you  not? 
Don't  bring  the  case  to  the  attention  of  the  Grand 
Jury;  have  Benson  released  from  bond,  that's  all." 

"  Positively  not!  "  Kennington  bluntly  retorted, 
looking  Gerard  squarely  in  the  face. 

"  Why?  "  Gerard  roared. 

"  For  the  sake  of  honesty  and  justice!  No  case 
during  my  incumbency  of  this  office  will  be  permitted 
to  slip  through  without  having  been  disposed  of  in 
the  proper  legal  manner.  Benson,  as  well  as  any  one 
else,  will  not  be  made  an  exception." 


50  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Gerard  exclaimed,  "  Don't  make  a  fool  of  yourself, 
young  man.  Don't  seek  to  exploit  your  personal 
virtues  at  the  expense  of  those  who  elevated  you  to 
your  present  position;  at  least  be  grateful  for  the 
opportunity  which  has  been  given  you." 

"  I  did  not  seek  the  office  which  I  now  hold;  in 
fact,  it  has  been  almost  thrust  upon  me.  I  will  serve 
the  people  who  elected  me,  faithfully  and  honestly 
without  stultifying  or  silencing  the  calls  of  my  con 
science.  Let  the  consequences  be  what  they  may. 
Do  you  understand  that?" 

"  Yes,  you  impudent  upstart.  I'll  teach  you  to 
trifle  with  me.  There  is  more  than  one  way  of  taking 
care  of  such  an  ingrate  as  you  are,"  and  shaking  his 
fist  menacingly  in  Kennington's  face  he  wheeled  sud 
denly  around  and  left  the  office. 


CHAPTER  V 
A  DARING  ROBBERY 

It  was  a  fortnight  later.  The  weather  even  seemed 
to  contribute  in  making  a  grand  success  of  the  Char 
ity  Ball.  The  air  was  delightful  and  invigorating. 
The  full  silver  moon  of  an  unusually  late  autumn 
night  cast  a  most  benevolent  mellow  light  upon  the 
city  and  the  lake.  Richly  cushioned  limousines, 
one  after  another,  drove  up  and  stopped  under  the 
canopied  porch  of  one  of  the  palatial  homes  on  the 
North  side.  From  each  of  these  elegant  convey 
ances  stepped  beautifully  gowned  ladies  and  the 
city's  fair  debutantes.  Among  them  were  the  Misses 
Rose  Darrell  and  Jennie  Gerard.  Miss  Darrell,  the 
daughter  of  a  millionaire  meat  packer,  was  expected 
to  wear,  on  this  occasion,  the  famous  East  Indian 
pearl  necklace,  which  once  was  the  property  of  a  now 
impoverished  English  vice-reine.  It  would  not  be 
unfair  to  say  that  some  of  the  guests  were  as  much 
interested  in  seeing  this  renowned  bit  of  personal 
adornment  as  they  were  in  the  dance  affair  itself. 
The  room  set  aside  for  the  dancing  presented  a  scene 
of  gayety  and  rich  color.  A  Japanese  garden  effect 
was  carried  out,  the  walls  were  hung  with  white 
lattices  entwined  with  Japanese  morning  glories 
in  bright  colors.  The  side  lights  were  covered  with 
Japanese  shades  in  yellow  and  black;  huge  domes 


52  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

in  red  and  white  with  flowering  tassels  being  used 
to  shade  the  lights  which  dropped  from  the  ceiling. 
Mingling  with  the  guests,  in  his  genial,  pleasant 
way,  was  the  Hon.  Joseph  Gerard.  He  was  a  big, 
rotund  man,  of  the  hail-fellow-well-met  type.  His 
was  a  florid  complexion,  on  which  were  visible  num 
erous  fine  hair-like,  scarlet,  capillary  tracings  which 
testified  of  more  than  a  speaking  acquaintance  with 
the  wine  cup  and  a  continual  good  living.  His  weasel- 
like  eyes  peeped  from  beneath  heavy,  shaggy  eye 
brows,  which  surmounted  the  deep  orbital  sockets. 
But  from  them  twinkled  a  merry  good  nature  to  his 
friends;  while  in  anger  to  his  enemies  they  became 
beady  black  orbs,  giving  off  malevolent  glances.  He 
was  possessed  of  a  large,  prominent  nose;  his  jaw 
was  square  cut;  his  mouth  was  large,  with  lips  thick 
and  pouting.  Around  his  tonsured  pate  was  a  ring 
of  closely  cropped  iron  gray  hair,  which  yielded  un 
graciously  to  the  caresses  of  the  comb  and  brush. 
In  fine,  his  face  suggested  a  nature  that  was  sensual 
and  selfish,  but  full  of  strength  and  purposeful  de 
termination,  which  ruthlessly,  without  counting  the 
cost,  cast  aside  and  crushed  all  obstacles  that  came 
in  his  way.  He  walked  in  a  rather  pompous  semi- 
dignified  manner,  his  head  slightly  inclined  to  the 
side,  his  general  demeanor  indicating  extreme  self- 
confidence  and  self-appreciation.  He  was  scrupu 
lously  groomed;  his  clothes  were  so  carefully  con 
structed  and  draped  by  the  tailor's  art,  that  they 
gave  him  an  appearance  of  gentility,  but  he  was  vir 
tually  devoid  of  the  cultural  attainments  his  looks 
falsely  portrayed.  There  was  one  quality  of  his 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  53 

character  that  saved  him  from  many  embarrassments 
when  forced  into  social  functions  distasteful  to  him, 
namely :  his  ready  wit  and  his  infectious  laugh. 

His  prominence  in  the  political  world  made  it  im 
possible  for  him  to  escape  attendance  upon  social 
functions  such  as  the  one  that  was  being  held  on  this 
particular  evening;  and,  because  of  this  fact  he  had 
received  a  certain  amount  of  training  in  the  usages  of 
polite  society  that  made  it  possible  for  him  to  be 
quite  comfortable  on  such  occasions. 

It  had  been  his  constant  practice  since  he  had  risen 
into  political  prominence  to  give  liberally  to  churches 
and  charitable  organizations  whenever  he  could  do 
so  with  great  ostentation  and  publicity.  He  always 
made  it  a  practice  to  let  his  left  hand  —  and  his 
neighbor's  eye  —  know  what  his  right  hand  was  doing 
in  the  way  of  public  philanthropy;  this  studied 
charity  had  the  desired  effect  upon  the  poor  classes. 
He  was  in  their  eyes  a  hero  and  a  humanitarian. 
His  gifts  to  the  poor  were  especially  liberal  just  pre 
ceding  election  times,  and  this  alms-giving  was  usu 
ally  successful  in  securing  votes  for  his  party.  His 
popularity  with  the  saloon  element  could  not  be 
denied.  He  was  their  apostle  and  the  leader  of  those 
who  were  loud  in  their  demands  and  cries  for  per 
sonal  liberty,  whose  interpretations  of  liberty  meant 
license  and  debauchery.  He  was  an  honorary  mem 
ber  of  the  Brewers'  Association.  As  former  member 
of  the  State  Legislature,  he  had  a  state- wide  reputa 
tion  as  an  astute  politician;  and  when  at  the  last 
session  he  was  called  upon  to  make  a  deliberate  choice 
between  the  demands  of  the  respectable  citizens  of 


54  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  state  and  the  libertines,  for  the  abatement  of  the 
red  light  district,  he  harkened  to  the  call  of  the  latter, 
casting  his  vote  in  their  favor.  For  many  years  he 
had  been  a  senior  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
and  an  intimate  friend  of  the  bishop,  also  a  very 
important  personage  and  factor  in  the  policies  of  the 
church.  But  owing  to  irregularities  and  to  the  pub 
lic  stand  he  had  taken  in  certain  matters,  the  ladies  of 
the  parish  voted  against  him  at  the  annual  church 
meeting,  deposing  him  from  the  official  position 
which  he  had  so  long  undeservingly  held.  As  a  re 
sult  of  this  action,  he  never  attended  church  again. 

During  the  course  of  the  evening  Jennie  Gerard 
observed  that  there  seemed  to  be  an  extreme  but 
polite  frigidity  and  reserve  between  her  father  and 
Arthur  Kennington.  They  actually  avoided  one  an 
other.  Even  the  guests  were  aware  of  the  visible 
coldness  the  two  men  plainly  displayed.  Jennie  found 
herself  embarrassed  on  more  than  one  occasion  during 
the  evening,  and  the  pleasure  she  had  anticipated 
was  marred  by  this  unexplainable  state  of  affairs. 

Just  before  the  election  her  father  had  spoken  of 
Kennington  in  the  most  glowing  terms  and  had  pic 
tured  him  as  one  of  the  brilliant  young  men  of  the 
city,  for  whom  fate  held  in  store  a  splendid  career. 
Then,  too,  Kennington  had  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of 
her  home,  which  had  been  marked  by  the  most  pro 
found  cordiality  on  the  part  of  her  father.  She  was 
at  a  loss  to  understand  the  mystery;  she,  therefore, 
determined  to  solve  the  problem. 

In  a  tactful  manner,  without  the  least  bit  of  pre- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  55 

sumption  or  forwardness  on  her  part,  she  managed 
to  reserve  several  dances  for  Arthur  Kennington, 
hoping  that  during  the  course  of  the  evening's  pleas 
ure  she  might  discover  the  cause  of  this  amazing 
situation.  As  they  passed  out  of  the  ball-room  on 
their  way  to  the  conservatory  her  father  watched 
them  suspiciously. 

"  This  will  never  do,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  I'll 
have  to  nip  this  performance  in  the  bud;  "  and, 
malignantly  he  stared  at  Kennington,  who  did  not 
fail  to  see  that  Mr.  Gerard  was  watching  them. 
Thus  instant  conflict  raged  within  him. 

Arthur  Kennington  freely  acknowledged  to  him 
self  that  this  young  lady  held  for  him  an  unusual  at 
traction;  she  seemed  to  be  entirely  different  from 
the  rest  of  the  ladies  he  had  ever  met.  She  was  his 
equal  mentally,  and  her  physical  charms  called  for 
his  fullest  admiration;  he  felt  himself  irresistibly 
drawn  to  her.  When  they  had  seated  themselves  on 
the  bench  that  was  almost  hidden  by  two  enormous 
bay  trees,  which  had  been  placed  at  either  end  of  the 
seat,  she  said :  "  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you  on 
your  election.  I  regret  that  I  have  not  had  the  op 
portunity  to  do  so  heretofore.  I  suppose  the  duties 
of  your  office  have  been  very  pressing  and  that  this 
has  been  the  reason  that  you  have  not  allowed  your 
well-wishing  friends  to  see  you." 

:<  Thank  you," — and  before  he  could  reply  further 
she  continued: 

'  We  all  were  sorry  that  you  did  not  attend  the 
little  party  which  father  gave  at  our  home  to  the 
Mayor  and  a  few  of  the  city  officers." 


56  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Kennington  winced  a  little  at  this  last  remark; 
he  had  not  received  an  invitation  and  it  was  evi 
dent  that  Jennie  was  under  the  impression  that  he 
had. 

It  was  clear  to  him  that  Gerard,  as  he  had  threat 
ened,  had  already  begun  a  subtle  warfare  upon  him. 
He  mused  how  Fate  dealt  out  happiness  and  unhappi- 
ness  with  one  single  move  of  her  hands. 

Their  conversation  branched  out  into  sociology,  a 
topic  dear  to  Miss  Gerard's  heart.  Animatedly,  she 
related  how  she  had  given  close  study  and  applica 
tion  to  the  leading  questions  of  the  unfortunate 
classes  of  humanity.  She  remarked  that  she  would 
be  glad  if  he  would  permit  her  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  methods  of  his  office  in  dealing  with  the  de 
linquents  and  that  in  exchange  she  would  be  pleased 
to  take  him  along  on  one  of  her  weekly  tours  through 
the  slums  of  the  city. 

Kennington's  heart  beat  rapidly  as  she  was  talk 
ing  so  interestedly  and  unaffectedly,  and  forgetting 
all  about  her  father, —  for  the  time  being,  —  he  most 
heartily  agreed  that  they  should  exchange  theories 
and  experiences,  when  time  permitted. 

They  decided  to  go  on  a  slumming  trip  the  fol 
lowing  afternoon,  and  she  was  then  in  turn  to  attend 
one  of  the  criminal  court's  sessions  for  delinquent 
youths.  Thus,  happy  in  each  other's  company,  the 
knowledge  of  being  of  kindred  mind  and  ideals 
served  as  an  invisible  bond  between  them. 

They  continued  to  chatter  merrily  and  before  they 
realized  how  quickly  time  had  fled,  a  new  partner 
came  up  and  claimed  Miss  Jennie  for  the  next  dance. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  57 

As  she  walked  away,  resting  her  beautifully  shaped 
hand  on  the  arm  of  her  new  companion,  Kennington 
experienced  a  peculiar  sensation,  the  like  of  which  he 
never  felt.  While  he  had  no  particular  reason  which 
would  warrant  him  to  do  so,  he  was  aware  of  a  tinge 
of  jealousy,  or  at  least  of  a  close  relationship  with 
that  human  passion. 

True  to  his  word,  Sanderson  attended  the  Charity 
Ball.  Though  he  failed  to  receive  a  formal  invita 
tion  he  took  care  of  this  oversight  on  part  of  the 
hostess  and  found  himself  almost  as  welcome  as  the 
most  popular  guest  who  attended  the  function. 

No  one  there  was  better  acquainted  with  the  follies 
and  weaknesses  of  modern  society  than  he.  He 
knew  how  to  take  advantage  of  the  selfishness,  the 
desire  for  notoriety  and  personal  advertisement  that 
were  to  be  found  among  the  leaders  of  the  city's  fash 
ionable  circles. 

Arrayed  in  an  evening  dress  suit  of  finest  broad 
cloth,  he  presented  himself  by  sending  his  hand 
somely  embossed  card  to  Mrs.  Stratton.  This  bit  of 
cardboard  purported  that  its  owner  was  no  other 
than  the  genial  social  reporter  of  the  Daily  Chronicle. 
The  first  step  of  his  enterprise  was  entirely  successful, 
for  his  newspaper  ruse  had  promptly  gained  him 
admittance. 

The  vanity  of  Mrs.  Stratton  was  gratified  and  she 
was  indeed  flattered  that  the  leading  paper  should 
send  a  special  representative  to  take  note  of  the  fete 
given  at  her  residence.  As  she  welcomed  the  young 
man  she  already  had  a  vision  of  a  whole  column  in 


58  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  daily  news  devoted  to  a  complimentary  descrip 
tion  of  the  entertainment  and  her  beautiful  home. 
She  could  even  see  some  of  her  social  rivals  grow 
green  with  envy  as  they  read  the  account. 

She  was  so  determined  that  the  newspaper  item 
should  be  an  unusual  one,  that  she  exceeded  the  cus 
tomary  formal  courtesies  given  newspaper  men  and 
deliberately,  with  what  she  considered  skillful  fore 
thought,  introduced  our  professional  crook  to  those 
present  as  a  personal  friend.  The  few  doubts  that 
existed  in  her  mind  as  to  the  propriety  and  wisdom 
of  such  an  act  were  soon  dissipated. 

With  perfect  ease  and  elegance  Sanderson  moved 
among  the  persons  assembled,  who  represented  the 
cream  of  the  city's  elite.  He  might  have  been  heard 
discussing  the  sociological  question  of  the  day  with 
Miss  Gerard,  and  the  latter  was  fascinated  by  the 
brilliancy  and  personal  charm  he  evinced.  With 
others  he  talked  entertainingly  of  art,  music  and 
travel,  and  his  graceful  dancing  excited  the  admira 
tion  of  more  than  one  of  the  young  debutantes. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  became  the  partner 
of  Miss  Darrell,  and  during  the  waltz,  "  The  Wed 
ding  of  the  Winds,"  when  his  beautiful  companion 
was  giving  herself  over  to  the  fullest  enjoyment  and 
abandonment  of  the  sensuous  glidings  of  the  dance 
and  the  harmonies  of  the  barcarolle,  Sanderson  keen 
ly  eyed  the  exquisite  necklace  of  pearls  that  adorned 
her  clear  white  throat.  Business  and  not  pleasure 
had  brought  him  to  this  function.  He  must  secure 
these  jewels;  they  were  within  his  grasp,  yet  he 
dare  not  take  them  now.  But  the  battle  was  half 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  59 

won.  He  had  found  them;  the  rest  of  the  game 
would  be  comparatively  easy. 

When  the  dance  was  finished,  Miss  Darrell  re 
marked  that  the  ball-room  was  exceedingly  warm 
and  that  she  felt  somewhat  fatigued  and  suggested 
that  they  find  a  quiet  place  to  rest.  A  more  propi 
tious  favor  could  not  have  been  asked  of  Sanderson, 
and  without  apparent  purpose  whatsoever,  except 
to  please,  he  escorted  her  to  the  adjoining  conserva 
tory.  The  place  he  chose  was  a  veritable  Cupid's 
bower,  secluded  and  shaded  by  the  broad  leaves  of 
Palmetto  palms,  which  might  shield  them  from  the 
inquisitive  glances  of  curious  eyes. 

In  the  centre  of  the  conservatory  an  electric  foun 
tain  cooled  the  atmosphere  as  its  waters,  tinted  with 
the  multi-colored  lights,  tinkingly  splashed  and  fell 
from  the  concha  shell  supported  by  a  marble  mer 
maid.  The  air  was  laden  with  lotus-like  odors  of 
exotic  hothouse  plants,  which  almost  seemed  to  in 
duce  a  sense  of  giddiness  and  anaesthesia.  The 
whole  situation  was  one  calculated  to  produce  a  riot 
of  emotions  and  sentiments. 

Under  the  physical  spell  of  the  environments  and 
situation,  the  restraint  and  coldness  of  a  formal  eti 
quette  were  loosened,  and  their  tete-a-tete  took  on  a 
very  personal  character.  Blushingly  she  picked  off 
a  blossom  from  a  bleeding  heart  plant  near  her  and 
coquettishly  adjusted  it  to  the  lapel  of  his  coat. 
Emboldened  by  this  act,  Sanderson  gently  pressed 
her  hand.  This  little  innocent  familiarity  was  not 
resented.  For  Sanderson  the  moment  was  now  right 
to  carry  out  his  coolly  laid  plan. 


60  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Casually  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  silken  hand 
kerchief  in  which  were  carefully  wrapped  several 
pearls  of  chloroform,  which  had  been  combined  with 
a  pungent  perfume,  the  fragrance  of  hyacinths,  to 
allay  the  odor  of  the  lethal  drug.  Suddenly  with  his 
right  arm,  which  had  rested  upon  the  high  back  of 
the  settee,  he  grasped  her  with  a  vice-like  grip  about 
the  shoulders  and  with  his  left  hand  he  crunched  the 
pearls  in  the  handkerchief  and  quickly  placed  it 
tightly  over  her  mouth  and  nose.  Unable  to  scream 
and  terribly  frightened  by  this  unexpected  assault, 
Miss  Darrell  fainted  and  in  a  few  seconds  she  be 
came  completely  unconscious.  While  in  this  help 
less  condition  Sanderson  deftly  removed  the  neck 
lace  from  her  throat  and  replaced  this  priceless  jewel 
by  the  spurious  strands  of  pearls  he  had  ordered 
made  in  New  York,  to  resemble  the  original.  All 
this  was  accomplished  in  but  a  few  minutes,  and  to 
cover  his  tracks  and  ward  off  any  possible  suspicion 
he  ran  quickly  to  the  ball-room  and  informed  the 
first  ladies  he  encountered,  that  Miss  Darrell  had 
suddenly  fainted. 

Miss  Darrell  was  still  unconscious  from  the  effect 
of  the  chloroform  and  was  hastily  carried  to  a  bed 
room,  where  she  regained  consciousness  after  a  very 
short  while.  She  was  so  thoroughly  frightened  that 
she  was  unable  to  make  any  explanation  of  the  un 
fortunate  occurrence.  The  sham  necklace  was  care 
fully  removed  and  laid  aside  on  the  dressing  table; 
but  as  luck  would  have  it,  the  bottle  of  smelling  salts 
used  in  the  reviving  attempts  was  tipped  over  by  the 
careless  maid-in-waiting  and  a  few  drops  of  the  aro- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  61 

matic  spirits  of  ammonia  splashed  upon  the  counter 
feit  pearls.  Almost  instantly  those  coming  in  con 
tact  with  the  chemical  lost  their  lustre  and  color. 
Slowly  they  changed  into  mere  sticky  worthless 
beads. 

The  frightened  maid  fearfully  informed  Miss  Dar- 
rell  of  the  lamentable  accident.  Immediately  she 
called  her  mother  and  they  were  indeed  confounded 
and  chagrined.  Some  of  the  ladies  present,  who  were 
jealously  inclined  and  much  given  to  gossip,  whis 
pered  it  about  that  the  would-be  famous  pearls  were 
after  all  nothing  but  a  fraud.  Miss  Darrell  and  her 
mother  realized  that  they  must  be  the  victims  of 
some  gross  defraudation  and  fully  resolved  to  go 
immediately  to  their  jeweler. 

This  unexpected  happening  temporarily  marred 
the  pleasure  of  the  evening;  but  the  dancing  was  re 
sumed  an  half  hour  later.  Little  did  the  guests  sus 
pect  that  a  daring  robbery  had  been  committed. 
They  only  thought  the  young  lady  had  fainted,  and 
she  shed  no  further  light  upon  the  episode,  partly 
because  of  a  guilty  feeling  of  having  been  too  en 
couragingly  familiar  with  Sanderson,  a  complete 
stranger,  and  partly  that  she  and  her  mother  did  not 
wish  the  knowledge  that  the  pearls  were  worthless 
to  become  public  property. 

Soon  Miss  Darrell  quietly  left  the  crowd.  And 
with  distraught  and  hurt  feelings,  she  and  her 
mother  bade  the  hostess  a  hasty  good-bye.  Under 
the  cover  of  the  general  excitement  of  the  guests 
Sanderson  stealthily  donned  his  street  coat  and 
slipped  out  of  the  house  entirely  unnoticed.  It  was 


62  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

at  least  an  hour  later  before  Mrs.  Stratton  had 
missed  him  and  then  she  ascribed  his  unannounced 
departure  to  the  customary  haste  with  which  re 
porters  are  wont  to  rush  to  the  city  editor's  office  to 
get  their  "  write-ups  "  in  shape  for  the  early  morning 
edition  of  their  papers.  The  morning  issue  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  Mrs.  Stratton,  for  she  failed 
to  find  a  glowing  account  of  the  Annual  Charity  Ball, 
which  had  been  given  under  her  direction. 

Mrs.  Darrell  and  her  daughter,  as  planned,  paid 
an  early  visit  to  the  jeweler  and  he  frankly  told 
them  that  the  necklace  which  they  submitted  to  him 
for  test  was  made  up  of  nothing  but  the  rankest  imi 
tation  of  pearls  and  that  in  some  manner  they  had 
been  shamefully  fleeced  of  the  priceless  necklace  he 
had  sold  them. 

Miss  Darrell  spoke  but  little  to  her  mother  on  the 
way  home,  but  on  their  arrival  the  strain  of  the  whole 
affair  was  so  tremendous  that  she  confessed  her  en 
tire  relationship  with  Sanderson  on  the  evening  be 
fore.  She  vividly  described  how  he  had  suddenly 
grasped  her  about  the  shoulders  and  pressed  a  hand 
kerchief  saturated  with  a  pleasant  smelling,  but 
powerful,  drug  against  her  lips  and  nostrils  until  she 
lost  consciousness.  Her  mother  did  not  stop  to  re 
prove  her  conduct,  since  the  theft  of  the  jewels  alone 
occupied  her  mind.  It  did  not  require  the  shrewdness 
of  a  Pinkerton  detective  to  arrive  at  the  conclusion 
that  Sanderson,  the  amiable  would-be  reporter,  was 
the  robber.  A  general  alarm  for  his  capture  was 
given  the  police  and  detective  departments  of  the 
city.  The  family  offered  a  very  liberal  reward  for 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  63 

the  recovery  of  the  jewels  and  the  apprehension  of  the 
gentleman  thief.  Omar  Khayyam,  in  his  Rubaiyat, 
asks,  "  Where  are  the  birds  of  last  year's  nests?  " 
As  vainly  they  might  have  asked  for  Sanderson's 
whereabouts.  .  .  . 

On  the  morning  following  the  daring  robbery  the 
Twentieth  Century  Flyer  was  rapidly  lessening  the 

distance  between  the  city  of  X and  New  York, 

and  in  one  of  the  comfortable  chairs  of  the  parlor  car 
was  seated  a  very  devout  priest.  He  untiringly 
read  his  breviary.  The  conductor,  after  having  once 
looked  at  his  ticket,  never  troubled  him  again.  The 
monk,  however,  was  none  other  than  Sanderson, 
carrying  concealed  under  his  religious  garments  the 
valuable  necklace,  which  he  was  taking  to  the  most 
conservative  "  fence  "  in  New  York,  known  only  to 
a  few  of  the  most  daring  and  skillful  crooks  of  the 
country.  $$ 


CHAPTER  VI 

SLUMS  OF  THE  CITY  AND  LOVE'S  AWAKENING 

For  a  long  time  after  his  return  home,  Kennington 
sat  beside  his  book-ladened  table,  thoughtfully  mus 
ing.  He  felt  extremely  restless  and  his  mind  was 
filled  with  dual  emotions.  While  at  Mrs.  Stratton's 
home  he  had  been  quick  to  perceive  the  icy  coldness, 
the  studied  incivility  and  the  watchful  eagerness  with 
which  Gerard's  eyes  had  followed  his  every  move. 
The  insinuations  and  taunting  thrusts  which  filled 
Gerard's  conversation  when  Kennington  was  near, 
deliberately  foretold  the  open  conflict  that  was  to  rage 
later  between  them.  Kennington  felt  in  his  soul  a 
growing  and  bitter  antagonism  toward  "  the  heeler 
of  the  13th."  It  was  all  clear  to  him  now,  how 
Gerard  and  his  henchmen  must  have,  at  one  time, 
looked  upon  him  as  a  person  who  would  make  a  will 
ing,  conscienceless,  pliant  tool,  a  veritable  cat's  paw 
to  pull  the  political  chestnuts  out  of  the  fire.  This 
thought  angered  him  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  Do  I 
look  like  a  puppet  and  weakling?  I  must,  or  they 
would  not  have  chosen  me." 

His  irritated  feelings  were  somewhat  relieved,  when 
irresistibly,  but  not  unwelcomed,  there  crowded  into 
his  mind  the  pleasant  memories  of  the  evening  which 
were  concerned  with  Miss  Gerard.  For  the  first 
time  he  began  to  realize  that  his  feelings  toward  her 
were  rapidly  changing.  She  was  something  more  to 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  65 

him  than  a  mere  passing  acquaintance,  who  hap 
pened  to  be  interested  in  life's  social  problems,  the 
same  as  he  was.  What  had  prompted  a  slight  re 
sentment  toward  others,  especially  the  young  men 
who  had  claimed  the  pleasure  of  her  company  in 
dance  and  conversation?  This  experience  was  en 
tirely  new  to  him  and  with  a  lawyer's  mind  he  tried 
to  analyze  it.  This  new  emotion  was  not  subject  to 
the  methods  of  the  court.  In  matters  of  the  heart, 
intuition,  woman's  substitute  for  reason,  served  him 
better.  Was  it  love's  awakening?  He  was  uncer 
tain,  for  he  had  never  been  in  love  before.  He  had 
met  Jennie  but  three  times,  and  was  this  noble  pas 
sion  born  of  so  brief  an  acquaintance?  It  does  so 
happen  in  fiction,  but  seldom  in  real  life.  If  it  were 
love,  what  chances  had  he  to  win?  Was  not  her 
father  his  virulent  enemy,  anxious  for  an  opportunity 
to  harm  him?  How  could  she  ever  know  of  the  foul 
purposes  her  father  had  in  mind  when  he  selected 
Kennington  to  be  the  city  attorney,  and  that  now  he 
was  but  waiting  for  the  chance  to  open  a  vicious  and 
unprincipled  fight  upon  him?  If  this  were  love  Ken 
nington  would  win  her  in  spite  of  all  obstacles  which 
now  appeared  to  be  insurmountable.  He  was  not  a 
quitter.  He  was  a  fighter.  He  would  overcome  the 
apparently  hopeless  odds;  he  would  not  only  clean 
the  city's  administration  of  graft,  as  Hercules  did  the 
Augean  stables,  but  he  would  win  the  girl.  Eagerly 
looking  forward  to  the  appointment  he  had  with  Miss 
Jennie  the  following  day,  his  mind  filled  with 
thoughts  of  the  pleasantest  anticipations,  on  retir 
ing  he  soon  fell  asleep. 


66  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

The  next  morning  the  city's  court  was  filled  with  a 
motley,  shiftless,  dissipated,  poverty-stricken  crowd. 
There  were  vagabonds,  petty  thieves,  women  of  the 
demi-monde,  drunkards  and  even  children  under  the 
age  of  fifteen.  All  these  had  been  caught  in  the 
meshes  of  the  law's  net.  Some  had  indulged  in 
drunken  fights;  some  had  stolen  property;  others  had 
disturbed  the  peace;  but  why  were  these  children 
here?  True  it  was,  that  they  were  charged  with 
truancy  and  petty  thefts.  Unlike  other  prosecuting 
attorneys,  Kennington's  mind  went  farther  back  than 
the  docket  where  their  warrants  were  tabulated. 
Were  these  children  criminal,  and  if  they  were,  who 
was  to  blame?  Where  did  they  live?  Where  were 
their  parents?  .  .  .  And  as  the  court  quickly  ground 
out  justice,  or  more  correctly,  futile,  temporary  pun 
ishments,  these  pertinent  questions  occupied  Ken 
nington's  inquisitive  mind. 

When  twelve-thirty  came  for  the  morning  court 
to  adjourn,  Kennington's  heart  was  cheered  and 
gladdened  by  the  thought  that  this  was  the  after 
noon  when  he  should  find  himself  in  company  with 
Miss  Gerard.  They  were  to  make  a  tour  of  the  city's 
slums  as  students  of  the  existing  social  conditions. 
Promptly  at  one-thirty  he  descended  the  steps  of  the 
city  court-house  and  walked  to  the  curb;  in  a  few 
minutes  there  drove  up  to  him  the  elegant  black 
electric  coupe  driven  by  Miss  Gerard.  With  a  cor 
dial  handclasp  she  invited  him  to  enter.  He  was 
glad  indeed  that  it  was  a  coupe  instead  of  a  car  that 
might  have  been  driven  by  a  curious  chauffeur. 

They  soon  left  behind  them  the  heart  of  the  great 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  67 

city  and  passed  down  into  the  tenement  district,  a 
portion  of  the  metropolis  where  seventy-five  thou 
sand  people  lived  in  an  area  less  than  a  mile  square. 
The  streets  were  narrow,  dirty,  filthy  and  unswept. 
There  were  no  yards,  no  grass,  no  trees,  not  even  the 
slightest  vestige  of  any  living  green  thing.  There 
were  rows  of  dingy,  grayish  colored  tenements,  most 
of  them  were  about  four  stories  high.  The  front 
doors  opened  out  upon  the  steps  which  stretched  in 
unbroken  rows  for  squares  and  squares.  God's 
fresh  air  and  sunshine  were  shut  out  of  these  barn- 
like  buildings,  which  were  sparsely  supplied  with 
windows.  These  structures  were  pervaded  with 
filthy,  vile  odors;  vicious  dank  miasma  lurked  in 
their  basements  and  foundations.  They  were  verit 
able  plague  spots.  In  single  rooms  of  these  dismal 
places  of  habitation  whole  families  lived  without 
privacy,  without  decency.  Family  after  family 
were  sheltered  one  above  another,  from  the  basement 
to  the  roof,  and  the  tenants  were  modern  cliff  dwell 
ers,  but  denied  the  buoyancy  of  sunshine,  fresh  air 
and  the  freedom  that  were  accorded  the  ancient  in 
habitants  of  the  cliffs  in  the  deserts  of  Arizona. 

Why  are  these  dens  of  sickness  permitted  to  exist? 
Why  does  not  Christian  civilization  destroy  these 
breeders  of  social  and  economic  crimes,  sexual  im 
morality,  venereal  disease  and  anarchism?  The  an 
swer  is  to  be  found  in  the  ignorance  and  carelessness 
of  the  good  people.  In  the  selfishness  and  civic  un 
righteousness  of  society,  in  the  avariciousness  of 
heartless  financial  and  church  corporations,  which 
possess  these  social  plague  spots  for  the  reason  that 


68  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

they  pay  enormous  dividends.  They  support  the 
idle. 

One  doleful,  gloomy  shack  in  this  district  which 
cost  less  than  one  thousand  dollars  to  erect,  yields 
an  annual  income  of  six  hundred  dollars. 

In  another  portion  of  this  municipality  some  hu 
man  beings  were  almost  surfeited  with  too  much, 
while  here  in  this  section,  others  almost  starved  with 
a  little  more  than  nothing.  Here  could  be  heard  the 
wailing,  piteous  cry  of  half -starved  children;  while  in 
the  distance  there  was,  but  unheard,  the  happy 
laughter  of  healthy,  care-free  children.  Here  was 
social  asphyxia;  there  was  a  riot  of  wanton  abun 
dance.  Here  society  shrinks  from  its  true  responsi 
bility,  and  while  these  evils  might  be  corrected,  they 
are  not. 

As  they  were  slowly  driving  down  these  lanes  of 
human  misery  and  abject  poverty,  Kennington  won 
dered  if  this  fair,  sweet  girl,  seated  by  his  side,  really 
knew  or  could  realize  the  full  depth  of  what  these 
nauseating,  frightful,  pestilential  conditions  meant  to 
the  ones  living  in  the  midst  of  them.  She  was  ut 
terly  out  of  place,  and  did  not  her  position  in  life 
make  it  impossible  for  her  to  properly  understand 
how  these  mortals  eked  out  their  existence  in  their 
squalid  habitations?  Did  she  not  view  it  as  one 
afar  off?  How  could  she,  reared  in  affluence  and  ex 
travagant  plenty,  comprehend  what  it  meant  to 
want,  to  hunger,  to  be  insufficiently  clothed  and 
housed,  to  be  ill  and  not  cared  for,  to  live  day  in,  day 
out  in  a  wretchedness,  physical  and  mental,  compared 
to  which  death  would  be  a  most  welcome  change? 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  69 

Though  he  had  never  experienced  this  dearth  and 
destitution,  he  knew,  however,  what  it  meant  to 
undergo  privations,  of  which,  these  upon  whom  for 
tune  smiled  more  benignly,  never  have  the  slightest 
idea.  Kennington  wonderingly  inquired  of  Miss 
Gerard,  "  May  I  ask  how  you  became  interested  in 
this  social  work?  I  should  have  believed  that  it 
could  be  only  distasteful  to  you." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  find  it  most  absorbing,  more 
so  than  card  parties,  dances  and  pink  teas;  for  those 
are  such  inane,  stupid  affairs,"  she  animatedly  re 
plied.  "  My  attention  was  most  forcibly  attracted 
to  these  conditions  while  attending  the  University. 
It  was  on  one  Thanksgiving  day,  when  with  two  of 
my  girl  classmates,  I  drove  to  the  University  football 
game.  On  the  way  to  the  grounds  our  machine  un 
fortunately  struck  a  little  girl,  about  eleven  years  old, 
who  had  thoughtlessly  cavorted  in  front  of  our  car, 
which  was  going  at  a  rapid  pace.  At  first  we  wanted 
to  take  her  to  a  hospital,  but  the  poor  child  begged  so 
piteously  to  be  taken  home,  which  proved  to  be  in 
the  tenement  district,  that  we  finally  yielded  to  her 
wishes,  when  it  was  found  that  she  was  not  seriously 
hurt,  but  only  thoroughly  frightened.  Then  it  was, 
Mr.  Kennington,  that  I  first  received  a  real  glimpse 
of  how  the  other  half  of  the  world  lives,  —  or  rather 
tries  to  live.  The  masterful  preface  of  the  famous 
'  Les  Miserables,'  was  involuntarily  recalled  to  my 
mind: 

"  '  So  long  as  there  shall  exist,  by  reason  of  law 
and  custom,  a  social  condemnation,  which,  in  the  face 
of  civilization,  artificially  creates  hells  on  earth  and 


70  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

complicates  a  destiny  that  is  divine  with  human  fa 
tality;  so  long  as  the  three  problems  of  the  age  — 
the  degradation  of  man  by  poverty,  the  ruin  of  wo 
man  by  starvation,  and  the  dwarfing  of  children  by 
physical  and  spiritual  night  —  are  not  solved;  so 
long  as,  in  certain  regions,  social  asphyxia  shall  be 
possible;  in  other  words,  and  from  yet  a  more  ex 
tended  point  of  view,  so  long  as  ignorance  and  misery 
remain  on  earth,  books  like  this  cannot  be  useless.' ' 

During  the  recital  of  the  long  quotation,  Kenning- 
ton's  love  and  admiration  for  this  charming  young 
woman  grew  so  strong  that  he  could  hardly  restrain 
himself;  he  felt  impelled  to  clasp  her  in  his  arms  and 
then  and  there  declare  his  love.  He  had  been  closely 
watching  her  lovely  face,  and  when  she  had  finished 
the  citation  she  turned  to  him  and  said  as  she  colored 
under  his  ardent  gaze:  "  Is  not  the  argument  sound? 
Are  not  the  reasons  sufficient?  And  you  as  an  ac 
complished  lawyer  have  not  a  word  in  retort  or 
rebuttal?  " 

"  *  When   wisdom   speaks   'tis   best   to   listen,' ' 
quoted  her  companion. 

"  How  humble  you  are  this  afternoon,  Mr.  Prose 
cutor.  I  surely  would  not  be  afraid  were  I  arraigned 
before  you  in  the  role  of  a  defendant." 

"  You  never  would  have  to  be  afraid  of  me,  my 
dear  friend;"  he  softly  replied,  but  the  look  he  gave 
her  belied  his  statement,  for  she  plainly  perceived 
that  there  was  imminent  danger  of  being  wooed  im 
petuously  if  she  but  gave  him  the  slightest  oppor 
tunity.  She  was  not  averse,  however,  to  the  senti 
ment  displayed  by  her  companion,  yet  with  keen 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  71 

feminine  tact  she  warded  off  a  declaration  of  love, 
by  driving  her  machine  to  the  curb  and  saying: 
"  Here's  where  we  will  leave  the  coupe  and  now  make 
our  visits  on  foot,  as  my  friends  are  all  within  a  short 
walking  distance." 

As  they  stepped  from  the  machine,  Miss  Gerard 
was  at  once  accosted  by  three  unwashed  and  unkempt 
urchins  begging  for  pennies.  Opening  her  purse  she 
gave  each  one  a  small  piece  of  silver.  With  a  most 
hasty  "  thank  you  "  these  children  scampered  away 
gleefully.  If  it  had  been  any  one  else  but  Miss 
Gerard,  Kennington  might  have  remonstrated 
against  this  bit  of  seeming  promiscuous  charity. 
He  thought  to  himself,  would  not  this  alms-giving 
teach  these  little  street  Arabs  to  become  vagabonds 
and  further  encourage  them  in  their  mendacity? 
Innocently,  Jennie  answered  the  Judas  Iscariot  phi 
losophy,  which  leads  many  to  strain  at  gnats  and 
swallow  camels,  by  stating:  "  I  presume  some  people 
would  criticise  me  severely  for  giving  money  to  these 
poor  waifs  and  say  that  I  was  only  encouraging  them 
to  become  professional  beggars.  But  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  this  is  the  case.  For  they  are  children, 
and  though  poor  are  entitled  to  the  childish  delights 
other  children  are  enjoying  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Therefore,  if  I  can  be  instrumental  in  shedding  a  ray 
of  happiness  into  their  pitiful  lives,  I  am  ever  ready 
and  willing  to  do  so." 

Kennington  reddened  at  this  remark;  had  she 
been  able  to  divine  the  question  which  had  arisen  in 
his  mind?  And  if  she  had,  he  knew  that  she  must 
know,  also,  that  love  for  her  had  already  awakened 


72  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

in  his  heart.  Just  as  they  passed  a  most  sordid, 
mean-looking  tenement  apartment,  which  opened 
into  the  street,  the  dilapidated  door  was  pushed 
back,  and  whirling  eddies  of  the  city's  dust  and  dirt 
found  their  way  inside. 

"  Here  is  a  terrible  state  of  affairs." 

*  Yes,  tell  me  more  about  it." 

"  In  this  wretched  place  lives  a  more  wretched 
family.  The  father  is  a  drunkard;  a  boy  of  thirteen 
is  in  the  State  Reformatory;  and  the  mother  you  see 
standing  at  the  window,  listlessly  gazing  into  the 
street,  is  an  epileptic.  See  the  puny  little  infant 
huddled  in  her  arms!  What  is  its  heritage?  A 
triad  of  direful  contemporaries — disease,  degeneracy 
and  poverty?  How  can  so-called  enlightened  so 
ciety  permit  these  conditions  to  exist?  " 

Kennington  shrugged  his  shoulders  thoughtfully, 
but  made  no  answer.  Jennie  blushed  slightly  and 
continued,  stamping  her  dainty  little  foot  in  the  ear 
nestness  of  her  conviction:  "  I  believe  in  calling  a 
spade  a  spade,  therefore  you  will  please  not  consider 
me  brazen  or  bold  for  expressing  my  views  concerning 
these  conditions,  just  as  I  see  them.  I  have  thought 
marriage  as  it  exists  today  is  crudely  protected. 
The  matrimonial  ceremony  itself  is  many  times  af 
fording  protection  for  licentiousness  and  is  permitting 
the  debauchery  of  the  innocent;  under  its  theological 
cloak  the  venereally  diseased  roue  is  united  in  holy 
wedlock  with  the  virgin;  the  tuberculous  are  given 
in  marriage;  the  insane  and  epileptic  are  linked  to 
gether;  and  idiotic,  epileptic,  blind,  tubercular  or 
otherwise  diseased  children  are  born  of  these  mar- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  73 

riages,  coming  into  the  world  to  suffer,  to  fill  our 
state  institutions,  to  live  lives  of  torture  until  re 
lieved  by  death.  These  people  marry  indiscrim 
inately,  rear,  children  without  care,  without  the 
ideals  of  propriety  and  morality.  Many  of  these 
children  will  in  the  future  become  paupers;  many  of 
them  will  be  charged  with  crimes  and  appear  in  our 
criminal  courts  to  be  tried  for  acts  for  which  they  are 
not  responsible,  but  which  fate,  heredity  and  environ 
ment  have  forced  upon  them. 

Kennington  was  struck  with  her  marvelous  de 
nunciation  and  scathing  arraignment  of  society's 
negligence. 

'*  These  facts  are  too  true,"  he  answered,  "  but 
what  is  the  remedy  and  how  may  it  be  applied?  " 

'  There  is  the  difficulty,"  was  the  grave  rejoinder, 
"  the  greatest  impediment  to  the  solution  of  the  sit 
uation  is  human  selfishness." 

What  would  she  have  said  if  she  had  known  that  it 
was  her  father  who  owned  these  crime-breeding 
buildings  in  which  unfortunates  and  derelicts  of  hu 
manity  were  housed,  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  the 
city,  of  hygiene,  and  of  humanity?  Kennington  did 
not  apprise  her  of  this  fact  for  obvious  reasons. 
This  charming  young  lady,  whom  he  had  learned  to 
love  so  dearly,  was  actually  enjoying  pleasures  and 
luxuries  that  accrued  from  the  rentals  of  these  tene 
ments.  What  would  she  do  and  say  when  she  dis 
covered  the  truth  of  the  matter? 

They  visited  about  a  dozen  homes,  and  Kenning 
ton  came  face  to  face  with  such  desolation  as  he  had 
never  seen  nor  heard.  Yet  notwithstanding  all  the 


74  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

misery  and  woe  they  saw  displayed,  their  spirits 
were  exultant.  In  fact,  Jennie  was  always  highly 
interested  in  her  settlement  work;  but  she  never  had 
felt  such  an  indefinable  elation  and  enthusiasm  as  on 
this  afternoon.  A  pink  blush  graced  her  cheeks 
and  her  eyes  were  luminous  with  a  happiness  not 
experienced  heretofore.  As  they  drove  back  to  the 
business  section  of  the  city,  Kennington  grew  elo 
quent  in  his  praises,  declaring  that  she  had  opened 
up  to  his  vista  new  fields  of  activity  and  that  he 
would  be  pleased,  if  she  would  permit  him  to  enlist 
in  her  services,  to  assist  in  these  weekly  visits  to  the 
slums.  Though  he  hinted  strongly  that  he  desired 
to  join  her  again  on  the  following  Wednesday,  she 
did  not  exactly  bid  him  do  so,  and  much  too  soon  for 
Kennington  they  arrived  at  the  city's  temple  of 
justice. 

Just  as  he  stepped  from  the  machine  Jennie's 
father  strode  down  the  court-house  steps  and,  totally 
ignoring  Kennington,  in  a  husky  voice  asked  of  his 
daughter:  "  Going  home?  " 

Much  surprised  at  this  act  of  open  incivility,  on 
the  part  of  her  father,  she  lost  momentarily  control 
of  her  speech  and  only  nodded  her  head  in  affirma 
tion.  Gerard  closed  the  coupe  door  with  a  slam 
which  bid  fair  to  be  disastrous  to  its  glass  window. 
Then  after  a  silence  of  several  squares,  Jennie  took 
courage  to  ask:  "  What's  the  matter,  daddy?  You 
seem  out  of  humor,  did  — 

"  Never  mind  '  what's  the  matter  ';  there's  plenty 
the  matter,  and  you'll  find  it  out  shortly.  Only  this 
much  now,  never  again  let  me  see  or  hear  of  your 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  75 

being  in  company  with  that  traitor!  No,  don't  an 
swer  back,  enough  said  for  the  present,"  and  with  an 
odd  shrug  of  his  broad  shoulders,  that  expressed  more 
ill-nature  than  his  words,  he  settled  back  on  the 
cushion  and  sulkily  glared  ahead  into  the  street. 


CHAPTER  VII 

BREAKERS  AHEAD 

During  the  long  three-mile  ride  home  from  the  city 
court-house  Gerard  spoke  not  a  word,  wrapped  in  a 
moody,  disconcerting  silence.  His  daughter  was 
deeply  pained  at  this  unusual  conduct.  With  all  his 
faults  of  political  chicanery  and  hypocrisy,  he  was  a 
most  indulgent  parent  to  his  only  child,  Jennie.  He 
literally  worshiped  and  idolized  her.  Her  every 
whim  was  his  law;  to  make  her  happy,  to  gratify  her 
every  wish  with  the  great  wealth  of  means  that  he 
had  at  his  disposal,  was  his  keenest  delight. 

It  was  true  he  did  not  altogether  approve  of  his 
daughter's  philanthropic  work  in  the  city's  slums; 
but  he  did  not  interfere  for  two  reasons:  first,  be 
cause  of  his  intense  love  for  his  only  child;  and,  sec 
ond,  Jennie's  charitable  work  threw  about  him  a 
cloak  of  respectability  which  more  or  less  hid  his  in 
nate  rascality. 

Miss  Gerard  was  deeply  grieved  by  her  father's 
mysterious  demeanor.  The  afternoon  that  she  had 
spent  so  joyously  in  the  company  of  Arthur  Kenning- 
ton  had  terminated  dismally.  On  reaching  home  she 
immediately  went  to  her  room  and  threw  herself 
upon  the  bed  in  a  wretched  state  of  dejection.  The 
calm  resourceful  reserve  of  her  nature  temporarily 
gave  way  and  she  found  some  relief  in  a  flood  of  hot, 
blinding  tears.  Convulsive  sobs  shook  her  frame  in 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  77 

the  stress  of  her  sorrowful  emotions.  Lachrymose 
episodes  were  very  rare  occasions  in  her  life.  Some 
thing  dreadful  must  have  happened,  she  argued  to 
herself ;  never  before  had  her  father  treated  her  in 
this  manner,  and  she  knew  no  reason  why  he  should 
do  so  now.  His  attitude  stifled  all  attempts  at  in 
quiry.  The  blackness  of  her  father's  character  was 
unknown  to  her.  To  Jennie  he  was  a  loving  parent, 
the  acme  of  all  that  was  virtuous,  strong  and  kind. 
He  was  her  confidante.  He  was  the  repository  of  hex- 
hopes  and  ambitions,  and  her  cherished  sociological 
schemes.  His  genial  warmth  and  co-operation  had 
developed  in  her  the  tenderest  and  keenest  love. 
And  while  she  dearly  loved  her  fashionable,  austere, 
self -centered  mother,  —  a  veritable  puritanical  aris 
tocrat,  —  Jennie  had  more  than  once  acknowledged 
to  herself  that  her  father  held  the  greater  place  in  her 
heart's  affection. 

The  cry  relieved  her  injured  and  distraught  feel 
ings  greatly  and  soon  she  regained  her  normal  com 
posure.  The  evening  meal  was  passed  in  an  unusual 
silence;  contrary  to  his  customary  joviality,  for 
Gerard  generally  led  in  animated  conversation,  he 
spoke  but  very  few  words  to  his  wife  and  daughter. 
The  stillness  was  especially  oppressive  to  Jennie;  it 
seemed  to  be  the  ominous  calm  which  so  often  pre 
ludes  a  storm. 

After  dinner  was  finished  Gerard  went  to  the  living 
room  and  helped  himself  to  a  strong  black  cigar  from 
the  humidor  on  the  table,  lighted  it,  and  vigorously 
began  to  puff  little  grayish-blue  ringlets  upward  to 
the  ceiling.  Although  almost  at  the  breaking  point 


78  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

with  anxiety  to  know  the  cause  of  her  father's  state 
of  ill-temper,  Jennie  was  too  independent  and  deter 
mined  to  again  inquire  the  reason.  Her  father  had 
rebuffed  her  on  the  way  home;  she  therefore  defi 
nitely  decided  if  any  explanation  was  made  of  the 
cause  of  this  very  extraordinary  action,  that  her 
father  would  have  to  take  the  initiative. 

Soon  her  desire  in  this  direction  was  gratified.  Her 
father  called  from  the  adjoining  room  and  with  great 
expectation  she  answered  the  summons.  When 
entering,  she  observed  that  her  father's  wrath  had 
subsided  considerably;  he  greeted  her  with  his  old- 
time  pleasant  smile  and  bade  her  sit  on  the  arm  of 
the  chair  he  was  occupying. 

;<  Well,  daughter,"  he  began,  "  you  will  please  for 
give  your  old  daddy  for  the  gruff,  mean  way  in  which 
he  treated  you  this  afternoon." 

:*  Why,  certainly,  father,"  she  answered,  patting 
him  gently. 

'  You  see,  Jennie,  it  is  just  like  this;  I  cannot 
stand  to  see  you  in  company  with  that  miserable  up 
start,  Kennington." 

"  Why,  father?  "  she  exclaimed,  in  startled  sur 
prise,  "  I  thought  you  and  he  were  the  best  of  friends; 
and  you  gave  him  such  a  royal  good  time,  a  short 
while  before  the  election.  What  has  happened  to 
make  it  all  so  different  now?  "  she  anxiously  inquired. 

"  Dearie,  you'll  excuse  me  and  not  make  it  neces 
sary  for  any  lengthy  explanation.  Just  trust  to  your 
father's  judgment  and  all  will  be  well." 

"  I  always  have;  but  I  know  you  will  pardon  me 
this  one  time  if  I  press  you  for  the  reason  why.  Mr. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  79 

Kennington  seemed  so  much  interested  in  my  slum 
work  this  afternoon  and  even  requested  that  I  per 
mit  him  to  go  with  me  upon  my  next  visit." 

"  No  doubt  he  did!  He  would  ingratiate  himself 
in  your  eyes  if  he  possibly  could;  just  so  much  more 
for  his  double-dyed  crookedness!  " 

*  What  do  you  mean,  that  he  is  dishonest?  " 
4  Yes;  dishonest  and  more  than  that." 

By  this  time  Jennie  had  become  keenly  interested. 
Was  she  mistaken  in  her  opinion  of  Arthur  Kenning 
ton?     How  could  he  be  as  her  father  described  him? 
Yet  she  dare  not  question  her  parent's  word. 
8  Tell  me  more  specifically,"  she  persisted. 

Gerard  was  somewhat  irritated  at  her  earnest  in 
sistence  for  an  explanation  and  his  mind  was  busy 
thinking  out  a  reply  that  would  bear  inspection  and 
wear  a  semblance  of  truth. 

"  Just  this,  Jennie,"  he  spoke  slowly:  "  Kenning 
ton  is  an  ungrateful,  impudent  upstart.  He  would 
injure  me  if  he  could;  and,  with  the  duality  of  his 
makeup,  he  would  seek  to  enlist  your  sympathies 
against  your  father." 

"  No,  no;  "  she  vehemently  cried;  "  those  who  are 
your  enemies  are  mine  also.  No  one  will  ever  change 
my  love  for  you!  " 

•"  There,  that's  a  good  girl;  just  as  I  knew  you 
would  be.  But  you  must  concede  the  fact,  your  old 
daddy  has  seen  more  of  the  world  and  its  many, 
many  deceptions  and  disappointing  ways  than  you 
have;  and,  dear,  experience  is  a  bitter  teacher. 
Thus,  if  it  is  even  possible,  I'll  try  to  save  and  spare 
you  any  unnecessary  unpleasantness." 


80  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  But,  daddy,  what  has  that  got  to  do  with  Mr. 
Kennington?  What  did  he  really  do  to  incur  your 
displeasure,  to  warrant  your  speaking  of  him  in  such 
denouncing  terms?  You  know  I  always  wanted  to 
know  the  why  and  wherefore  of  everything;  and 
surely  in  this  instance  I  am  not  lacking  in  curiosity  to 
get  the  facts  in  the  case.  Perhaps  there  is  a  mis 
understanding  which  if  explained  can  be  lifted  and— 

"  No,  Jennie,  you  do  not  realize  what  you  say.  I 
have  positive  proofs  of  the  correctness  of  my  asser 
tions;  and  I  wish  you  would  not  press  me  to  tell  you 
the  details  now;  only  this  for  the  present,  Kenning 
ton  is  truly  the  personified  illustration  of  the  ancient 
proverb:  '  The  snake  bites  the  hand  that  feeds  it.'  ' 

*  Why,  that's  simply  awful,  father,  I  never  heard 
you  express  yourself  so  forcibly  and  bitterly  before; 
and  please  excuse  me  for  saying  so,  but  I  can  hardly 
believe  it.  Mr.  Kennington  does  not  in  the  least 
impress  me  as  such  a  character,"  she  loyally  added, 
in  defence  of  her  newly  made  friend. 

This  last  remark  angered  Gerard  not  a  little  and  he 
had  to  exert  every  bit  of  his  will  power  not  to  flare 
up,  lest  by  doing  so  he  would  spoil  his  well-laid  plans. 
He  knew  his  daughter's  independence  full  well,  and 
that  with  harsh  words  he  would  accomplish  but  very 
little;  hence  he  reefed  his  emotional  sails  and,  out 
wardly  calm,  he  replied: 

"  Kennington  is  certainly  very  fortunate  to  pos 
sess  in  you  such  a  staunch  champion  for  his  cause; 
but  I  am  afraid,  dearest,  he  is  absolutely  unworthy 
of  it.  He  was  elected  to  his  present  position  from  an 
obscure,  unprofitable  practice,  as  a  poor,  battling 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  81 

lawyer,  with  more  bills  to  pay  than  briefs  to  make. 
No  sooner,  however,  has  he  become  warmed  in  his 
new  chair,  as  prosecuting  attorney,  than  he  plays  to 
the  gallery  frequenters,  like  cheap  actors  in  small 
vaudeville  shows.  He  forgets  who  it  was  that  placed 
him  where  he  is;  he  uses  his  office  and  the  power 
vested  in  it  for  personal  advertisement  and  aggran 
dizement,  trampling  under  foot  all  usages  of  political 
conventions  and,  not  only  that,  but  the  common 
ordinary  decency  which  calls  for  gratitude  toward 
friends  who  have  helped  him.  As  I  have  said  before, 
he  caters  to  the  silly  women's  clubs;  to  the  morbid, 
muck-raking  editors  of  spurious,  would-be  reform 
papers;  surrounds  himself  with  a  halo  of  self -right 
eousness,  simply  causing  a  riot  in  the  court-house  cir 
cles  and  deviating  entirely  from  the  tactful  and 
shrewd  business  methods  of  his  predecessor." 

As  he  paused  to  take  a  long  pull  at  his  half  ex 
tinguished  cigar,  Jennie,  who  had  patiently  listened 
to  him,  interpolated:  "But,  daddy,  Mr.  Blake  got 
into  disrepute  while  in  office  and  you  yourself  said 
before  the  election  that  Mr.  Kennington  would  make 
a  clean,  honest,  fearless  incumbent  of  the  office  of 
city  attorney." 

Gerard  almost  groaned  aloud  at  the  recital  of  his 
own  words,  which  he  too  well  remembered  saying  on 
the  night  he  introduced  the  young  lawyer  into  his 
home.  After  a  moment's  deliberation  he  replied: 
"  Yes,  I  know  I  did  say  so;  but  did  you  never  in  your 
young  life  learn  that  one  often  is  compelled  to  re 
tract  statements  made  under  a  false  conception,  or 
impression  of  circumstances?  This  is  an  instance  of 


82  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

that  kind;  Kennington  has  bitterly  disappointed  us 
all;  and  not  that,  only,  he  cares  little  about  it;  on 
the  contrary,  is  very  arrogant.  When  spoken  to,  in 
a  most  conciliatory  and  friendly  manner  that  his 
course  is  not  an  advisable  one  for  the  good  of  the  city, 
he  bristles  up  and  as  good  as  tells  us  all  to  go  to 
smithereens.  Take  it  from  me,  as  gospel  truth, 
Kennington  will  prove  more  of  a  disgrace  to  the 
office  he  so  defiantly  holds,  than  Blake  ever  was  or 
ever  could  have  been.  I  truly  wish  now  we  had  put 
Blake  on  the  ticket  again.  I  dare  say  we  would 
have  pulled  him  through  the  shoals  of  opposition  as 
easily  as  we  did  elect  that  scoundrel  Kennington. — 
But  come,  girlie,  enough  of  this  distasteful  subject, 
and  in  conclusion  let  me  have  your  promise  that  you 
will  not  associate  with  that  gay  deceiver  any  more; 
eh?" 

But  Jennie,  who  had  closely  followed  her  father's 
arraignment  of  Kennington,  did  not  give  the  desired 
assurance,  and  though  true  to  her  former  statement 
that  no  one  could  alter  the  love  she  bore  for  her 
father,  she  did  not  quite  unravel  the  mystery,  and 
hence  did  not  give  in  at  once.  Even  though  Gerard 
had  grown  emphatic  and  stormy  in  his  speech,  at  no 
time  did  he  give  any  definite  and  convincing  proof 
of  Kennington's  alleged  dishonesty  and  unfitness  for 
the  prosecutorship. 

She  arose  still  mystified  and  kissing  her  father's 
forehead,  she  slowly  said: 

"  I  know  you  mean  your  best  by  me  and  would 
not  wittingly  advise  me  wrongly;  but,  father,  I 
should  be  unworthy  to  be  called  your  daughter  if 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  83 

I  would  give  you  a  promise,  even  if  it  pleased  you 
most  highly,  before  I  fully  realized  what  I  was  prom 
ising.  I  have  found  and  considered  Mr.  Kennington 
a  perfect  gentleman  and  I  am  loath  to  believe  other 
wise  unless  I  have  positive  proof  that  he  is  not.  Do 
you  remember  when  I  went  to  school,  and  I  came  to 
you  for  help  with  my  arithmetic  problems ;  you  would 
invariably  say:  '  Work  them  out  yourself,  my  dear; 
and  then  you'll  understand  them  better; '  so  I  am 
going  to  work  out  this  problem  for  myself  now, 
before  I  give  you  a  definite  promise.  Good  night, 
daddy!  Don't  be  angry  with  your  daughter,  who 
is,  as  you  so  often  say,  *  a  chip  off  the  old  block  '." 

After  she  left  the  room  Gerard  softly  swore  to  him 
self,  "  If  this  don't  beat  h !  "  Proofs  she  wants; 

all  right,  Miss  Headstrong;  proofs  you  shall  have 
even  at  the  cost  of  a  few  tears  from  those  fiery,  proud 
eyes  of  yours." 

Lighting  a  fresh  cigar  he  fell  to  scheming;  while 
Jennie  with  mixed  feelings  sought  her  room  and  gave 
herself  over  to  deep  thoughts.  While  making  her 
evening  toilet,  prior  to  retiring  for  the  night,  Ken 
nington 's  words,  actions  and  looks  of  the  afternoon 
would  ever  come  to  her  mind;  and  though  she  be 
lieved  in  her  father,  she  could  not  fully  put  unfalter 
ing  faith  into  the  veracity  of  the  harangue  with  which 
he  had  regaled  her.  Soon  she  yielded  her  tired  self 
to  sleep,  but  again  in  her  slumbers  she  was  on  a  slum 
ming  tour  with  Kennington  at  her  side;  and  though 
sorrow  and  woe  surrounded  them,  glorious  sunshine 
shone  down  from  above;  for  love  was  within  their 
hearts. 


84  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

The  following  morning,  try  as  he  may,  Gerard 
could  hardly  be  civil  to  his  family;  the  cause  for  this 
being  that  the  morning  paper  which  he  was  reading 
at  the  breakfast  table,  while  sipping  his  cup  of  coffee, 
contained  headlines  and  subsequent  statements  be 
low  which  caused  him  not  a  little  worry. 

:<  What's  the  news,  Daddy?"  Jennie  cheerily  asked 
him. 

"  Here,  read  for  yourself,"  Gerard  growled,  tossing 
the  paper  over  to  her;  and,  in  so  doing,  he  nearly 
capsized  the  silver  percolater. 

'  That  ought  to  open  your  eyes  about  that  mis 
erable  hypocrite  and  traitor,  Kennington,  if  nothing 
else  will." 

;<  Why,  Joseph  Gerard,  how  rude  you  are  this 
morning,"  his  prim  wife  remarked,  casting  a  disap 
proving  look  at  him. 

'  Well,  I  always  said  a  man  could  never  argue 
with  a  woman;  and  here  are  two  against  one;  so  I 
am  going  to  the  office  where  at  least  I  am  the  undis 
puted  boss  during  the  day."  And  noisily  he  stalked 
out  of  the  dining-room  to  go  down  town.  Jennie 
then  read  the  following  caption: 

PROSECUTOR  KENNINGTON  HOT  ON  THE  TRAIL  OF 
THE  GRAFTERS!    SOME  MEN  PROMINENT 
IN  HIGH  CIRCLES  To  BE  UNMASKED 
AND  DENOUNCED!    A  Civic  RE 
FORM  TO  SWEEP  OVER  THE  CITY 
AS    NEVER    BEFORE 
KNOWN  IN  ITS 
HISTORY  ! 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  85 

This  was  followed  by  a  column  and  a  half  of  ex 
planatory  statements  which  Jennie  eagerly  read. 
Having  done  so,  she  said  to  her  mother,  "  I  do  not 
see  what  is  wrong  about  this  and  why  papa  should 
worry  himself  into  a  frenzy  because  the  prosecutor 
tries  to  take  up  the  duties  that  he  has  sworn  to  per 
form." 

"  Oh,  child !  Why  do  you  worry  me  with  miser 
able  politics?  I  get  enough  of  that  from  your  father; 
I'm  not  in  the  least  interested  in  it.  Look  up  the 
society  page  and  read  to  me  '  who's  who.'  See  if  the 
bazaar  of  St.  Paul's  has  been  announced." 

Jennie  complied  with  her  mother's  wishes;  and, 
after  having  satisfied  them,  Jennie  went  into  the 
library  to  write  a  letter  to  Kennington.  At  first  she 
hesitated,  thinking  it  might  be  unmaidenly  and  im 
proper  to  do  so;  but  upon  further  consideration  she 
fully  resolved  to  put  to  him  the  disagreeable  ques 
tion  which  distressed  her  mind,  as  a  friend,  which  he 
professed  to  be,  that  he  might  shed  light  upon  this 
subject. 

She  sat  at  her  desk  for  quite  a  while  buried  in  pro 
found  study;  once  a  faint  smile  flitted  over  her 
beautiful  face,  and  a  slight  blush  stole  across  her 
cheeks  when  she  read  the  appellation:  "My  dear 
Sir."  Soon  her  pen  flew  over  the  paper  which  was 
adorned  in  one  corner  with  her  monogram  "  JG." 
When  her  writing  was  finished  she  read  the  inquiry 
carefully  over,  and  then  in  a  bold  hand- writing  ad 
dressed  the  envelop,  "  Hon.  Arthur  Kennington, 
City  Attorney,  Court-House,  City." 

Then  she  took  up  some  other  correspondence  and 


86  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

for  a  while  the  letter  to  Kennington  was  forgotten. 
Two  young  lady  friends  came  during  the  course  of  the 
morning  and  before  she  was  aware  of  it  luncheon 
time  had  arrived. 

Contrary  to  his  custom  Gerard  came  home,  giving 
as  an  excuse  that  he  had  left  some  papers  in  the 
library  which  he  needed  that  afternoon.  In  reality 
he  had  returned  to  offer  Jennie  some  substantial 
proof  of  Kennington's  unworthiness  of  her  company. 
After  luncheon  he  followed  Jennie  into  the  library 
and  seeing  the  letter  to  Kennington  on  the  desk  he 
slyly  said:  "  Ah,  you  have  been  taking  your  young 
Lochinvar  to  task,  eh?  Well,  that's  the  girl  for  me. 
Give  me  the  letter  and  I'll  hand  it  to  him  in  person, 
as  I  am  going  to  his  office  this  afternoon." 

"  By  the  by,  I  heard  some  hard  talk  about  him 
this  morning,  which,"    -  he  added  hypocritically,  - 
"  I  hope  is  not  true,  for  I  did  not  think  he  was  so  bad 
as  all  that." 

*  What  do  you  mean?  "  his  daughter  anxiously 
inquired. 

"  Oh,  nothing  now,  dear,  wait  till  you  hear  from 
him  in  answer  to  your  letter;  may  be  it  is  all  talk, 
and  all  will  be  well." 

Grateful  for  this  seeming  and  unexpected  change 
in  her  father's  disposition  toward  Kennington,  Jennie 
gave  her  father  a  hearty  hug  and  kiss. 

In  the  blackness  of  his  heart,  what  must  Gerard 
have  felt  over  this  undeserving  display  of  affection! 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CAPTURED 

In  the  mean  time  under  the  tutelage  and  guidance 
of  Toledo  Red,  Jere  was  becoming  quite  an  accom 
plished  petty  thief  and  pickpocket;  but  he  was  lack 
ing  the  ability  to  conceive  and  plot  a  crime  of  any 
magnitude.  Yet  with  an  instinctive  and  innate  fox- 
like  cunningness,  led  by  a  teacher,  he  was  able  to 
consummate  many  thefts  that  kept  him  and  George 
supplied  in  a  fair  amount  of  spending  money.  George 
had  learned  many  tricks  of  "  the  trade  "  from  his 
own  personal  experience  and  he  had  also  gathered 
much  information  and  knowledge  of  thievery  while 
serving  terms  in  various  prisons. 

He  had  on  many  occasions  explained  to  Jere  that 
the  members  of  their  profession  talk  over  their  ex 
ploits  and  accomplishments  while  in  their  enforced 
retreats  in  the  state  bastile.  Here  plans  for  the  fu 
ture  escapades  are  hatched  and  devised.  The  first- 
time  criminal,  or  novice  in  crime,  is  often  literally 
taught  and  schooled  in  criminality;  he  may  come 
out  a  finished  product,  —  unreformed  and  vindictive 
against  society.  The  universal  rule  of  silence  in 
penitentiaries  cannot  prevent  conversation  and  the 
dissemination  of  gossip.  With  the  skill  of  a  ven 
triloquist,  one  prisoner  communicates,  by  means  of 
"  the  grape  vine  telephone,"  to  another  the  informa 
tion  he  has  to  give.  A  yeggman,  just  received  in 


88  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

prison,  tips  off  to  a  prisoner  who  is  soon  to  go  out,  the 
location  of  certain  loot  and  booty  which  can  be 
turned  into  money  with  which  to  secure  the  aid  of 
an  attorney  to  have  the  former's  sentence  reduced. 

Jere  was  not  slow  in  absorbing  the  lessons  which 
George  intended  for  him  to  receive  during  the  recitals 
of  interesting  prison  episodes  and  underworld  philoso 
phy.  Jere's  ambition  to  become  an  accomplished 
crook  fed  ravenously  upon  the  criminal  pabulum 
which  was  daily  dished  out  to  him.  He  was  ever  on 
the  alert  to  prove  to  George  and  Sanderson  that  he 
had  profited  by  the  instructions  they  had  imparted 
to  him.  Sanderson's  successful  robbery  of  the  pearls 
filled  Jere's  heart  with  the  wildest  sort  of  desire  to 
perform  a  coup-de-maitre  in  the  art  of  thieving.  He 
was  not  content  to  let  well  enough  alone  and  was 
growing  somewhat  tired  of  simply  snatching  pocket- 
books  from  unsuspecting  females,  mostly  shopgirls 
going  home  on  pay  nights.  He  argued  to  himself 
that  his  minor  sneak  thieveries  involved  just  as  great 
a  risk  as  did  a  job  worth  while. 

Soon  an  opportunity  offered  itself  which  gave  him 
a  chance  to  measure  his  ambition  with  his  abilities. 
A  national  convention  was  held  in  the  City  of  the 
Lake  and  through  the  good  offices  of  Sanderson, 
coupled  with  the  necessary  aid  of  two  corrupt  de 
tectives,  he  was  given  a  position  as  page  in  the  con 
vention  hall.  Here  he  found  a  fine  field  to  ply  his 
light-fingered  trade.  Quite  a  few  well-filled  wallets 
were  reported  as  stolen  from  the  delegates,  who  might 
not  always  have  been  any  too  sober.  The  sleuths 
of  the  city's  debased  police  force,  detailed  to  watch 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  89 

the  hall,  loudly  and  emphatically  proclaimed  that  no 
such  thefts  were  possible  in  the  assembly  room,  since 
the  usual  force  for  such  gatherings  had  been  trebled. 
Consequently  no  arrests  were  made  and  Jere  was 
never  suspected,  as  he  was  able  to  assume  an  air  of 
such  innocence,  bordering  even  on  simpleness,  that 
no  one  would  give  him  the  credit  of  being  able  to 
steal  pocketbooks  from  the  political  guests  of  the 
city. 

Jere  was  emboldened  and  his  vanity  was  gratified 
by  his  successes ;  and,  without  the  least  bit  of  grum 
bling  he  cheerfully  gave  up  his  tax  for  protection  to 
the  police  lieutenant,  who  collected  the  tithes  for 
whitewash  and  immunity  in  that  district.  These 
spasms  of  prosperity  meant  sumptuous  "  feeds,"  ac 
companied  by  the  best  of  liquors  which  Dinty's  cafe 
could  afford.  The  money  had  been  easily  acquired, 
of  course  with  some  risk  attached,  and  it  had  to  be 
spent  in  haste.  George  wore  good  clothes  as  signifi 
cant  testimony  of  Jere's  loyalty  to  him,  and  the 
younger  crook  satisfied  his  vanity  with  tailor-made 
suits;  and  a  real  diamond  pin  even  adorned  his  gay 
neckties. 

Jere's  rise  in  crookdom  brought  him  flattering  in 
vitations  to  join  various  mobs*;  but  persistently  he 
refused  to  join  them;  endeavoring  to  imitate  San 
derson,  the  highly  proficient  gentleman  thief,  who 
never  had  a  pal  and  hence  was  not  compelled  to  live 
in  fear  of  an  accomplice  who,  on  being  caught,  might 
turn  state's  evidence.  But  little  did  Jere  know  in 
his  arrogance  and  vanity,  brought  about  by  his  brief 

*  A  gang  of  pickpockets  who  work  together. 


90  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

successes,  that  such  would  never  be  the  case  with 
him.  Sanderson  had  been  endowed  with  a  keen, 
active  brain,  the  priceless  heritage  which  his  pro 
genitors  had  bequeathed  him.  While  Jere  had  fallen 
heir  to  a  vicious  physical  endowment  transmitted  to 
him  by  the  toxins  of  disease  and  degeneracy  which 
had  vitiated  the  blood  of  his  ancestors. 

On  the  day  following  the  close  of  the  political  con 
vention  Jere  and  George  spent  the  evening  at  Dinty's 
retreat,  partaking  of  a  light  lunch  which  was  sup 
plemented  by  several  rounds  of  drinks.  Both  grew 
loquacious  and  boastful.  George  recounted  the  suc 
cessful  robberies  and  burglaries  of  his  youth  and 
prime;  and  Jere  was  equally  proud  of  his  rascally 
accomplishments,  but  he  secretly  longed  to  go  deeper 
into  criminal  work.  He  was  not  content  to  be 
classed  as  a  pickpocket;  he  wished  for  a  higher  place 
in  the  criminal  society,  which  is  truly  as  stratified 
and  full  of  caste  as  any  other  sphere  of  life. 

While  they  sat  there  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their 
anti-social  pursuits,  the  door  of  the  saloon  gently 
opened  and  in  stepped  a  tall,  slim  gentleman  who 
wore  a  slouch  hat,  the  brim  of  which  somewhat  ob 
scured  his  features.  With  his  eyes  cast  down  he 
walked  straightway  to  the  table  where  the  couple 
were  seated;  and  when  he  reached  them,  he  gave 
George  a  vigorous  slap  on  the  back  and  extended  his 
hand  to  Jere,  who  eagerly  grasped  it.  They  were 
both  surprised  for  the  instant,  for  the  personage  was 
no  less  than  Fred  Sanderson. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  how  are  you?  Here  I  am  again, 
turned  up  just  like  a  bad  penny.  I  did  not  have  an 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  91 

opportunity  to  bid  you  good-bye  as  I  suddenly  left 
the  city  to  attend  to  urgent  business  in  old  Gotham," 
and  he  smiled  faintly  at  this  remark.  Both  George 
and  Jere  at  once  surmised  that  Sanderson's  state 
ment  referred  to  the  theft  of  Miss  DarrelPs  pearls, 
but  neither  dared  to  express  their  thoughts,  and  it 
was  certain  Sanderson  would  not.  He  was  extreme 
ly  reserved  and  close-mouthed  about  his  personal 
affairs.  After  seating  himself,  Sanderson  said,  "  Jere, 
you  look  very  prosperous;  business  must  be  good. 
No  one  evidently  has  interfered  with  your  pursuits 
of  life,  liberty  and  happiness." 

Whereupon  George  made  quick  to  reply  in  Jere's 
stead,  "  Yes,  Fred,  the  Kid's  been  doing  fine;  he  has 
taught  a  lot  of  *  big  guns  '  to  be  a  little  more  careful 
of  their  change  in  a  strange  city,  hereafter.  I  was 
glad  to  see  him  do  it.  You  know  we  had  a  political 
convention  here  this  week,  — 

"  Of  course  I  do;  didn't  I  get  him  the  job  at  the 
hall?  "  Sanderson  impatiently  interposed. 

"  Yes,  yes,  Fred;  well  as  I  was  sayin',  a  big  bunch 
of  grafters  was  here  tryin'  to  fool  the  public  as  usual 
and  Jere  gave  them  a  little  taste  of  their  own  medi 
cine.  Some  of  them  squealed  as  loud  as  a  lot  of 
pikers,  but  it  didn't  do  any  good,  Lieutenant  O'Leary 
is  a  clean  guy;  he  charges  a  feller  a  high  tax;  but  he 
don't  give  a  body  the  double  cross  as  some  of  the 
bulls  do." 

Brimful  of  eagerness  and  suppressed  egotism, 
Jere  hastily  added:  "  Yes,  I've  done  fairly  well  but 
I  would  like  to  tackle  something  that  is  worth  while." 

"  To  try  your  nerve  we'll  put  you  on  a  real  re- 


92  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

spectable  job.  It's  dead  easy  to  work  if  you  just 
keep  a  stiff  upper  lip.  Go  at  it  deliberately  and  with 
a  determination  to  win.  Now  remember,  Kid, 
there's  some  risk  to  be  run;  but  there  is  no  profes 
sion  without  such.  You  may  be  caught  and  you 
may  not.  But  if  you  should  be,  don't  be  a  baby." 

"That's  right,"  George  interpolated,  "don't 
squeal  if  you  gits  caught.  Keep  your  mouth  shut 
and  say  nothin';  a  feller  will  never  make  a  good 
gun*  if  he  don't  learn  to  do  this." 

"I'm  no  squealer!  "  Jere  answered  a  little  tartly; 
"  and  if  I  get  pinched  I'll  take  me  medicine  like  a 
man;  but  I  don't  intend  to  let  a  flat-footed  copper 
ketch  me  either,  if  I  can  help  it." 

For  an  hour  or  two  the  three  chatted  gaily,  their 
conversation  being  punctuated  now  and  then  by 
draughts  of  lager.  It  was  to  be  noticed  that  Sander 
son  did  in  reality  consume  but  very  little  of  the  in 
toxicating  beverages  during  the  evening.  He  was 
fully  aware  that  excessive  drinking  would  mater  ally 
interfere  with  his  chosen  vocation  in  life.  His  deeds 
of  theft  required  a  steadiness  of  nerves,  and  he  was 
forced  to  adhere  strictly  to  the  principles  of  a  relative 
sobriety.  Whereas,  both  George  and  Jere  freely  in 
dulged  in  drink.  The  former,  on  account  of  his 
shattered  nerves,  palsied  by  the  use  of  morphine,  and 
now  having  no  firm  purposes  in  life,  was  practically 
eking  out  a  parasitical  existence,  depending  upon  the 
tainted  earnings  of  his  young  protege;  and,  for  this 
reason,  he  gave  himself  freely  over  to  indulgence. 
Jere,  lacking  the  ability  to  deny  the  gratification  of 

*  A  crook. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  93 

his  physical  appetites,  devoid  of  an  intelligence 
which  would  permit  him  to  reason  soundly  with  logic 
and  foresight,  handicapped  by  an  inebriate  heredity, 
often  drank  himself  into  states  of  maudlin  intoxica 
tion,  and  would  have  done  so  on  this  occasion  had  not 
George  repeatedly  nudged  him,  indicating  that  it 
would  not  do  to  drink  too  heavily  in  the  presence  of 
Sanderson,  who  had  an  inveterate  aversion  for 
drunken  men. 

Sanderson,  looking  at  his  beautifully  engraved 
watch,  arose  and  bade  his  friends  good-bye;  and  as 
unobtrusively  as  he  entered,  he  left  the  place. 
Reaching  the  main  street  he  hired  a  taxi  -cab  and  had 
himself  driven  to  his  fashionable  quarters. 

George  and  Jere  remained  until  the  bar-tender 
quietly  informed  them  that  the  saloon  had  to  close, 
in  conformity  to  the  law,  but  if  they  cared  for  any  more 
drinks  they  would  have  to  repair  to  the  rear  room 
used  as  a  makeshift  bar  during  closing  hours  for  the 
accommodation  of  thirsty  night  prowlers.  Upon 
receiving  this  notice,  George,  in  a  heavy,  clumsy  man 
ner  got  on  his  feet  and  said  to  Jere:  "  Come  on,  Kid; 
you've  had  enough  for  one  evening;  let's  go  home;  " 
and  with  a  shuffling  gait  of  semi-intoxication,  they 
shambled  out  of  the  saloon  into  the  darkness  of  the 
alley. 

The  next  morning  they  were  awakened  from  their 
heavy  slumbers  by  the  bright  sunlight  piercing 
through  the  dirty,  besmudged  window-panes  of  their 
sleeping  quarters.  Wearily  they  dressed  themselves 
and  prepared  for  the  day's  fateful  adventure.  Jere, 
in  a  languid  manner,  said  to  George: 


94  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Let's  go  to  Dinty's  and  get  a  bracer;  my  nerves 
is  all  shot  to  pieces." 

'  Yes,"  George  sighingly  replied;  "  mine  are,  too; 
if  it  were  not  for  that  fool  Harrison  law  which  put 
things  on  the  hummer,  a  feller  could  take  a  stiff  shot 
in  the  arm  and  get  fixed  up  all  right." 

On  arriving  at  the  saloon  each  ordered  a  glass  of 
liquor  and  then  helped  himself  to  a  liberal  portion  of 
the  free  lunch.  Half  an  hour  later  they  emerged 
from  the  cafe  in  a  much  pleasanter  frame  of  mind,  due 
to  the  exhilarating  stimulation  of  their  "  morning's 
morning." 

'*  We've  got  nearly  an  hour  yet,  Kid,  before  you'se 
tackle  a  real  job;  so  let's  walk  down  town  and  when 
we  get  there  it  will  be  time  for  you  to  show  what  kind 
of  stuff  you're  made  of,"  George  said;  to  which  sug 
gestion  Jere  acquiesced.  Slowly  they  sauntered  to 
the  retail  and  banking  district.  On  the  way  there 
they  stopped  at  several  saloons,  in  order  to  infuse 
more  psuedo-courage  and  spirit  of  recklessness  into 
their  craven  hearts  and  minds.  Reaching  the  bank 
upon  which  they  had  decided  that  Jere  should  make 
his  bold  attack,  Toledo  Red  stationed  himself  just 
outside  the  door,  surreptitiously  he  slipped  on  a  pair 
of  blue  glasses  and  folded  a  bunch  of  shoestrings  in 
his  crippled  hand,  assuming  the  role  of  a  semi-blind 
mendicant,  offering  to  the  passer-by  his  wares  in  a 
pitiful,  cracked  voice. 

When  high  noon  was  sounded  all  over  the  city  by 
the  sonorous  tolling  clocks  and  shrill  whistles  of  the 
manufacturing  establishments,  Jere  briskly  walked 
into  the  bank  and  approached  the  paying  teller's 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  95 

window.  He  handed  to  that  gentleman  in  waiting  a 
note  coming  ostensibly  from  the  Major  of  the  Salva 
tion  Army,  asking  for  two  blank  promissory  notes. 
Keenly  the  bank  official  eyed  Jere  and  scrutinized 
the  written  order  which  George,  of  course,  had  forged. 
When  the  teller  turned  round  to  comply  with  the 
request,  the  desired  moment  for  our  young  crook  was 
at  hand.  Quickly  he  thrust  his  long  slim  arm  under 
the  slight  aperture  of  the  wicker-work  and  grabbed  a 
stack  of  bills. 

He  then  ran  away,  rapidly  placing  the  bundle  of 
notes  in  his  cap;  when  he  reached  the  outer  door, 
he  dropped  them  both  at  George's  feet  and  knocked 
the  shoestrings  from  the  old  man's  hand.  With 
lightning  rapidity  Toledo  Red  stooped  and  picked 
up  the  articles  dropped.  Jere  ran  up  the  street  as 
fast  as  possible.  It  can  be  readily  guessed  from  the 
way  this  robbery  was  carried  out,  that  it  had  been 
carefully  planned;  and,  thus  far,  there  was  not  the 
slightest  hitch  in  the  execution  of  their  thieving 
scheme.  But,  as  was  to  be  expected,  the  teller,  who 
had  been  taken  so  unaware,  gave  alarm;  and  when 
the  bank  detective  rushed  out  to  find  Jere  he  en 
countered  the  old  shoestring  peddler,  who  deliber 
ately  got  in  his  way  under  the  pretense  of  selling  him 
some  of  his  wares.  Little  did  the  pursuer  suspect 
that  the  stolen  money  was  actually  within  his  grasp. 

The  throng  which  went  back  and  forth  at  this  hour 
of  the  day  made  it  impossible  for  the  officer  to  follow 
Jere,  and  he  gave  up  his  chase. 

Jere  continued  to  speed  madly  up  the  street  avoid 
ing  collision  with  the  hurrying  pedestrians,  by  skill- 


96  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

fully  dodging  them.  As  he  turned  the  corner  of  one 
of  the  side  streets  he  ran  directly  against  a  big  traffic 
policeman  with  great  violence,  almost  upsetting  this 
officer  of  the  law.  The  impact  threw  Jere  to  the 
pavement;  and,  as  he  attempted  to  rise,  he  was 
roughly  collared  by  the  burly,  angry  policeman, 
whose  huge  physical  bulk  seemed  to  grow  ten  times 
in  Jere's  bewildered  eyes. 

"  What  the  devil  you  doin'?  "  the  officer  blurted 
out;  and,  breathless,  half -stunned  and  thoroughly 
frightened,  Jere  was  unable  to  answer.  The  silence, 
the  dishevelled  appearance  of  the  young  man  and  the 
violence  of  their  collision  caused  the  blue-coated 
Hibernian  to  think  a  little  more  rapidly  than  usual; 
and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  must  be 
something  radically  wrong  with  Jere.  He  was 
placed  under  arrest  and  sent  to  headquarters,  slated 
as  a  "  suspicious  character." 

Jere  was  transferred  to  jail  at  once.  These  shelters 
are  often  veritable  toboggan  slides  to  the  criminal 
cesspools.  This  one  he  found  to  be  unclean,  full  of 
vermin,  ill-ventilated,  and  foul-smelling.  In  one 
corner  sat  a  man,  blear-eyed  and  diseased.  Next 
to  him  lounged  an  aenemic,  thin-chested  fellow,  who 
constantly  coughed,  and,  with  every  paroxysm,  sent 
a  fine  spray  of  tubercular  sputum  broadcast  into  the 
air.  In  this  place  of  detention  were  hardened  crim 
inals,  first  offenders,  juvenile  prisoners  and  two 
hopeless  lunatics  awaiting  transfer  to  a  hospital  for 
the  insane. 

In  this  miserable  abode  society  was  conducting  a 
regular  school  of  crime,  where  physical  and  moral 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  97 

contagion  vied  with  one  another  to  drag  down  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty  into  a  maelstrom  of  human 
misery  and  vice.  Jere  at  once  made  friends  with  one 
of  the  prisoners  who  proved  to  be  a  recidivist;  he 
had  served  four  prison  terms  and  many  jail  sentences 
during  his  tempestuous  life.  The  old  man  fell  to 
talking  about  his  exploits  and  all  his  stories  of  crim 
inal  adventure  were  readily  assimilated  by  Jere. 
This  newly  found  friend  paternally  advised  him  to 
keep  his  mouth  shut,  should  he  be  questioned  about 
himself;  whereupon  Jere  promptly  stated  that  his 
old  pal,  Toledo  Red,  had  instructed  him  similarly. 

"  Is  Toledo  Red  still  livin'?  I  thought  he  was 
dead;  "  the  other  exclaimed.  "  I  know  him  well; 
we  celled  next  to  each  other  in  Auburn  prison  fifteen 
year  ago.  Old  Red's  some  gun  all  right,  me  boy!  " 

This  declaration  further  cemented  their  newly 
formed  friendship.  When  supper  time  came,  stale, 
musty  bread,  sparsely  smeared  with  a  pitch  black 
substance  bearing  the  misnomer  of  molasses,  was 
handed  out;  the  old  man  generously  turned  his 
share  over  to  Jere  who  was  ravenously  hungry,  hav 
ing  missed  his  noon-day  meal.  When  passing  this 
would-be  supper  to  the  young  fellow,  the  donor 
sneeringly  said:  "Don't  this  beat  the  devil;  the 
sheriff  who  runs  this  dump  gits  forty-five  cents  a 
day  fer  each  of  his  boarders;  and  he  don't  spend  a 
nickel  at  that  to  feed  us;  some  graft,  eh,  me  boy? 
Bad  enough  fer  us  fellers  what  have  really  separated 
the  public  from  some  of  its  coin,  but  it's  darn  tough 
on  the  fellow  what's  ditched  in  here  innocently. 
Justice?  There  ain't  no  such  thing  any  more!  " 


98  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

When  night  spread  her  sable  pinions  over  the  city, 
the  jail  seemed  to  be  converted  into  a  regular  den  of 
vice,  much  akin  to  the  ones  found  in  the  under 
world  region.  If  any  one  had  been  successful 
enough  to  slip  in  money  so  carefully  hidden  as  to  es 
cape  the  usual  "  frisk,"  given  by  the  deputy  jailer, 
he  could  purchase  a  small  bottle  of  "  mountain  dew," 
paying,  of  course,  a  double  price  to  the  "  trustee," 
who  acted  as  a  purchasing  agent  for  those  who  could 
pay  import  duty. 

Jere  thought  of  what  Toledo  Red  in  one  of  his  cyn 
ical  dissertations  had  once  said:  "  This  world  is 
nuthin'  but  a  large  ocean  of  grafters;  the  big  fish  eat 
up  the  little  ones." 

Thus  even  behind  the  bars,  where,  so  to  say,  an 
enforced  rectitude  might  be  expected,  this  preying 
upon  one  another  rampantly  continues.  The  pur 
chaser  of  the  liquor,  while  realizing  he  is  being 
fleeced,  philosophically  consoles  himself  with  the  uni 
versal  proverbs,  that  a  body  cannot  possess  both  the 
penny  and  the  cake  at  the  same  time;  or,  if  one 
wishes  music  the  piper  or  the  fiddler  must  be  paid 
their  price. 

In  one  corner,  seated  on  a  long  bench,  was  a  group 
of  men;  judging  from  their  clothes,  they  occupied  a 
more  prosperous  station  in  life  than  their  poorly 
clad  comrades  about  them.  These  were  gamblers 
and  political  offenders  who  had  been  caught  through 
the  relentless  crusade  of  the  new  prosecutor,  Arthur 
Kennington.  Bail  having  been  refused  them,  they 
tried  to  make  their  compulsory  sojourn  as  pleasant 
as  possible  and  indulged  in  frequent  games  of  poker. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  99 

Match  sticks  were  used  in  lieu  of  the  customary 
tri-colored  chips.  The  game  became  quite  animated 
at  times  when  one  or  the  other  accused  a  fellow  gam 
bler  of  cheating.  In  one  instance  a  fist  encounter 
ensued  which  bid  fair  to  become  a  "  free-for-all." 
Spittoons  were  used  as  missiles,  broom-handles  and 
mop-sticks  took  the  place  of  the  Irish  shillalahs. 
The  less  courageous  and  peacefully  inclined  fled  to 
their  cells  and  bunks,  while  others  joined  in  the  bat 
tle-royal  from  a  sheer  lust  of  combativeness,  punch 
ing  and  striking  right  and  left,  no  matter  at  whom, 
just  so  some  one  came  in  contact  with  their  fists. 

Peace,  or  more  properly  quiet,  was  finally  restored 
by  the  "  cell-boss,"  a  prisoner  of  pompous  carriage 
and  demeanor.  He  readily  yielded  to  the  urgent  re 
quests  of  some  of  the  jailbirds,  who  shouted:  "  Kan 
garoo  Court!  Kangaroo  Court!  "  A  mimicry  of  a 
regular  constituted  court  at  law  was  carried  on  as 
follows :  the  instigator  of  all  the  trouble  was  grabbed 
by  three  self-appointed  deputies,  who  dragged  their 
victim  to  the  sanctum  of  the  cell-boss  who  was  to  act 
as  judge.  The  latter  in  turn  called  upon  "  six  honest 
men  "  to  act  as  jurors;  and  espying  Jere,  who  was 
well  dressed,  the  "  Judge  "  asked  him  to  act  attorney 
for  the  defendant.  Jere  felt  quite  elated  and  flat 
tered  that  he  should  be  picked  out  among  such  a 
large  crowd,  and,  with  considerable  self-conceit  in 
his  ability  to  do  the  occasion  justice,  he  proceeded  to 
put  up  a  defense  for  his  client. 

The  rules  of  Blackstone,  Webster's  Dictionary  and 
Harvey's  Grammar  were  grossly  ignored  and  disre 
garded;  aided,  however,  by  the  guffaws  and  ejacula- 


100  PAWNS   OF  FATE 

tion  of  the  audience  Jere  waded  through  the  per 
formance  fairly  well.  But  His  Honor,  the  cell-boss, 
who,  by  the  by,  was  a  curbstone  lawyer  of  the  shyster 
variety,  was  not  amenable  to  argument  and  reason. 
*'  Tim  Dugan  was  entirely  at  fault!  "  he  said  in  his 
brief,  but  fiery,  address  to  the  "  venerable  "  jury, 
and  demanded  a  verdict  of  "  guilty,"  which  was 
forthcoming  instanter.  Dugan  was  fined  two  dollars 
in  cash  —  for  he  could  well  afford  it,  as  he  had  been 
very  successful  in  raking  in  several  "  well-sweetened 
Jack-pots,"  while  employing  his  customary  tricks  of 
a  card  shark.  In  addition,  the  court  imposed  a  fine 
of  ten  strokes  for  "  contempt  of  court,"  since  Dugan 
had  been  so  imprudent  to  remonstrate  against  the 
entire  proceedings  and  the  subsequent  verdict.  The 
fine  was  extracted  from  him  by  force  and  handed 
over  to  the  court,  to  be  spent  the  following  day  for  a 
fresh  supply  of  "  the  makin's,"  -  contraband  smok 
ing  tobacco. 

Later  in  the  evening  a  maudlin  object  was  brought 
in  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  he  was  relieved  of  his 
fairly  good  clothes,  hat,  socks  and  shoes;  others 
none  too  clean  and  of  more  inferior  quality  were  sub 
stituted. 

Calmly  the  cell-boss  stood  there  smoking  his  pipe 
and  looked  on  while  this  rapid  costume  changing  was 
enacted.  A  young  chap,  with  a  vestige  of  decency 
left  within  him,  remarked  about  the  injustice  of  the 
theft,  but  he  was  cut  short  by  the  cell-boss  who 
snarled  at  him,  saying:  "  Guess  it  ain't  too  late  yet 
to  hold  another  Kangaroo  Court  and  have  a  certain 
'  smarty  '  learn  how  to  mind  his  own  business.  I'm 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  101 

boss  here;  do  you  get  me?  Besides,  this  gink  won't 
know  where  he  traded  clothes.  So  dry  up,  'fore  I 
have  about  twenty-five  paddles  imposed  upon  you." 

The  following  morning  Jere  and  nine  other  fellows 
who  had  been  committed  to  jail  the  day  before  were 
handcuffed  together,  two  by  two;  a  heavy  chain  was 
attached  to  their  bracelets;  and,  like  a  bunch  of 
cattle,  they  were  taken  over  to  the  police  station. 
Arriving  there  they  were  lined  up  against  the  wall  of 
the  general  assembly  room  of  the  city  detectives. 
The  sleuths  then  filed  in  to  subject  the  prisoners  to  a 
thorough  scrutiny  and  inspection;  this,  called  "  run 
ning  the  gauntlet,"  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
the  detective  department  a  chance  to  see  if  among  the 
captured  characters  perhaps  there  might  be  some 
wanted  for  an  additional  charge,  either  in  this  city 
or  another.  The  officer  who  had  charge  of  this  daily 
routine  performance  of  examination  of  prisoners  at 
once  recognized  Jere,  who  gave  him  a  knowing  look; 
and  because  of  their  former  acquaintance  at  the 
convention  ball,  the  youthful  pickpocket  was  ex 
cused  from  this  ordeal  and  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
corridor  of  the  police-station,  while  the  remainder 
were  put  to  a  most  grilling  examination. 

The  night  before,  George  and  Sanderson  had  met 
at  Dinty's  emporium,  as  was  their  usual  custom,  pro 
vided  Fred  was  in  the  city.  Sanderson  was  informed 
of  Jere's  arrest,  but  he  only  smiled  cynically  and 
said:  "I  know  all  about  it,  George;  never  mind; 
this  little  experience  won't  hurt  him  at  all.  It  will 
teach  him  to  be  more  careful  in  the  future  in  making 
his  get-a-way."  Raising  his  glass  to  his  lips  he 


102  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

rapidly  drained  it;  then  said,  "  Just  remain  here 
until  I  return,"  and  quickly  he  left  the  saloon.  In 
about  twenty  minutes  he  came  back,  and  when  he 
had  sat  down  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  medicine 
dropper  and  a  one  dram  vial  which  seemed  to  be 
filled  with  clear  water. 

;<  This  little  bit  of  fluid  with  the  assistance  of  our 
old  friend  David  Jacobs  will  readily  liberate  our  boy, 
Jere,"  he  consolingly  said  to  George. 

Jacobs  was  a  prominent  criminal  lawyer  whose 
legal  skill  was  never  denied,  but  whose  reputation 
was  most  unsavory. 

"  I  don't  doubt  your  word,  Fred;  Dave  is  a  good 
fixer,  but  what  on  earth  has  the  little  bottle  and  the 
medicine  dropper  got  to  do  with  it?" 

"  Never  mind  about  that,  but  take  both,  early  in 
the  morning,  to  Jere  and  tell  him  to  follow  explicitly 
the  directions  I  will  now  give  you. 

"  He  must  not  be  frightened  and  play  the  baby  act; 
but  he  must  do  strictly  as  he  is  told;  and,  as  a  result, 
he  will  be  free  in  a  day  or  so  without  blemish. 

The  old  man  was  extremely  curious  as  to  the  con 
tents  of  the  bottle,  and  he  wondered  what  this  inno 
cent  looking  fluid  could  have  to  do  with  Jere's 
release. 

<(  Tell  Jere  to  put  one  drop  of  this  medicine  in  his 
eyes  every  hour  until  eight  drops  are  used,  and  by 
that  time  he  will  have  to  have  some  one  to  lead  him 
round.  This  temporary  blindness  will  soon  pass 
away  and  his  eyes  will  be  as  good  as  before.  The  boy 
made  a  good  haul,  and  a  thousand  dollars  is  not  a  bad 
job  for  just  a  youngster.  I've  just  learned  before 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  103 

coming  here  from  Lieutenant  O'Leary,  that  the 
Bankers'  Association  is  hot  on  Jere's  trail  and  will 
try  hard  to  give  him  a  long  sentence  if  they  possibly 
can.  The  cashier  was  down  at  the  jail  early  this 
evening  and  was  almost  certain  that  he  identified 
our  young  pal.  His  hearing  has  been  set  for  day 
after  tomorrow  morning,  and  this  medicine  will  have 
had  just  time  enough  to  do  its  work,  if  my  advice  and 
directions  are  followed  implicitly." 

"  You're  a  corker,  Fred;  you  always  help  a  feller 
out  when  he's  up  against  it,  I'll  do  my  part,"  George 
ardently  replied. 

After  George  left  the  jail,  Jere  went  to  his  poorly 
lighted  cell  and  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  his  bunk, 
withdrawing  from  his  pocket  the  wonder-working 
medicine  and  the  dropper.  He  was  just  a  little  fear 
ful  about  putting  the  solution  in  his  eyes  and  he 
asked  himself:  "  What  if  this  should  make  me  blind 
for  keeps?  "  But  a  great  fear  of  a  long  sentence  in 
the  penitentiary  and  the  almost  blind,  implicit  trust 
he  put  in  Sanderson  and  George  soon  dissipated  his 
doubts.  Surreptitiously,  when  no  one  was  looking, 
he  placed  in  each  eye  a  drop  of  the  liberty-giving 
fluid.  He  felt  no  immediate  change;  his  vision  re 
mained  unimpaired.  Within  a  half  hour,  however, 
he  noticed  that  the  objects  of  the  jail  corridor  and 
the  cell  took  upon  themselves  a  hazy  indistinctness. 
The  features  of  his  fellow  prisoners  became  less  plain. 
The  light  which  fell  through  the  dirty  window  of  the 
bar-bound  hall  grew  disagreeable  and  dazzling;  with 
the  second  drop  the  symptoms  increased.  When  he 


104  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

involuntarily  winked  his  eyes,  which  act  he  found 
himself  doing  very  often,  blinding  flashes  of  light 
passed  before  him.  He  sought  the  darkness  and 
shadow  of  his  cell.  Luminous,  purple  rings  attached 
themselves  to  the  ever-dimming  outlines  of  the  sur 
roundings.  The  whole  jail  appeared  to  be  in  a  state 
of  twilight  and  the  figures  of  the  fellow  prisoners  be 
came  but  shadowy  indistinguishable  silhouettes. 
And  by  the  time  of  the  administration  of  the  fifth 
drop  he  found  himself  utterly  unable  to  further  con 
tinue  his  self -medication.  An  intense  fear  seized 
him. 

"  What  if  this  dope  is  too  strong  for  me?  "  he  mut 
tered  to  himself;  "  I'd  rather  do  ten  bits  in  the  pen, 
than  lose  me  glimmers."  But  summing  up  the  last 
vestige  of  his  limited  courage  he  called  for  his  cell 
mate,  the  old  man,  who  had  treated  him  so  gener 
ously  the  evening  before.  When  the  latter  came  to 
him  Jere  said: 

"  Say,  old  pal,  I  has  awful  bad  eye  trouble,  some 
times,  and  it  comes  on  me  of  a  sudden;  I  got  a  touch 
of  it  this  morning.  I  always  carries  some  dope  wid 
me  to  use  when  I  has  these  spells.  Take  it  out  of 
my  pocket  and  put  a  drop  of  the  stuff  in  me  eyes. 
These  spells  sometimes  last  two  or  three  days,  and  I 
gets  blind  as  a  bat." 

"  It's  too  bad,  Kid;  "  sympathizingly,  the  old  man 
replied;  and,  with  a  hand  unsteadied  by  dissipation, 
tremulously  complied  with  Jere's  request.  When 
bed  time  came  on  Jere  found  himself  almost  totally 
unable  to  see.  Yet  it  was  still  possible  for  him  to  dis 
tinguish  faintly  between  light  and  darkness.  He 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  105 

tried  to  soften  the  fear  and  melancholy  of  the  self- 
inflicted  mydriasis  of  the  atropine  solution,  which 
brought  with  it  dismal  gloom  and  blackness. 

When  his  old  partner  had  rolled  on  his  hard  cot, 
Jere  sobbed  softly  to  himself.  The  night  was  spent 
in  troubled  and  fitful  dreams,  filled  with  phantoms  of 
trials,  inquisitions  and  imprisonment.  When  he 
awoke  on  the  day  set  for  his  hearing  he  found  him 
self  still  unable  to  see;  and  he  stumbled  about  while 
dressing,  which  would  have  been  well  nigh  impossible 
had  it  not  been  for  the  assistance  of  his  cell-mate. 
The  fear  which  had  filled  his  heart  the  night  before 
was  gone.  He  seemed  possessed  with  a  spirit  of  un 
reasonable  and  daring  recklessness.  He  felt  certain 
that  his  blindness  would  pass,  for  had  not  his  friend 
told  him  it  would. 

At  nine  o'clock  when  the  police  court  convened 
Jere  was  escorted  to  the  hearing  by  the  deputy  bail 
iff  through  the  underground  passage  leading  from 
the  jail  to  the  police  station.  After  the  first  two 
cases  had  been  disposed  of,  the  police  prosecutor 
called  out:  "Jere  Patton!  "  whereupon  the  young 
crook  was  led  before  the  judge,  and  the  officer  who 
made  the  arrest  arose  to  testify  against  the  prisoner. 
After  a  lengthy  recital  of  the  incident  of  the  arrest, 
the  officer  was  excused ;  but  the  relentless  prosecutor 
addressed  the  judge  as  follows: 

'  Your  Honor,  this  man  has  been  identified  by  the 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  as  the  person 
who  robbed  the  bank  of  a  bundle  of  bills,  amounting 
to  one  thousand  dollars.  " 

The  Judge  then  bade  the  cashier  take  the  witness 


106  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

stand  and,  after  being  sworn  in,  this  bank  official  re 
lated  the  story  of  the  robbery.  When  questioned  if 
he  could  positively  identify  the  defendant,  the  cash 
ier  replied: 

"  I  am  quite  certain  I  can,  your  Honor." 

"Is  he  in  the  court-room?  "  the  Judge  queried. 

"  Yes,  there  he  stands,"  the  witness  answered 
pointing  to  Jere. 

!<  That  is  all  for  the  present,"  the  Judge  then  stated. 

The  prosecutor  directed  Jere  to  get  on  the  witness 
stand,  but  to  the  amazement  of  the  entire  court 
room  he  was  unable  to  do  so,  on  account  of  his  tem 
porary,  artificial  blindness.  At  this  psychological 
moment  a  very  eccentric  looking  individual,  whose 
aquiline  nose  and  embryonic  Vandyke  gave  him  a 
Mephistophelian  appearance,  stepped  before  the  rail 
ing  of  the  platform  whereon  the  Judge  was  seated. 
This  interlocutor  wore  a  shiny  Prince  Albert  coat, 
a  red,  flashy  necktie  which  slipped  up  behind  his 
collar,  the  latter  giving  evidence  of  not  having  visited 
a  laundry  very  recently. 

He  wore  heavy  rimmed  glasses  astride  a  prominent 
nose  that  at  once  betrayed  his  Hebraic  lineage.  His 
hands  were  grimy  and  soiled;  unmanicured  finger 
nails  bore  a  rim  of  ebony;  on  his  third  finger  was  a 
large  diamond  ring  which  seemed  sadly  out  of  place. 
His  dress  and  demeanor  showed  marked  eccentricity, 
but  his  beady  black  eyes,  which  lay  beneath  heavy 
bushy  eyebrows  suggested  cunning  and  keenness  of 
intellect.  With  an  obsequious  bow  to  the  Judge  he 
began  to  address  that  august  person  in  a  shrill,  nasal 
tone: 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  107 

"  May  it  please  your  Honor,  the  good  Judge  of  this 
court,  if  I  represent  this  poor  boy.  I  am  perhaps 
more  familiar  with  his  lamentable  history  than  any 
one  in  the  city.  He  is  deserving  of  your  fullest  sym 
pathy,  Your  Honor,  as  I  will  endeavor  to  explain. 
Permit  me,  if  you  please,  to  give  you,  in  exact  tech 
nical  terms,  the  facts  covering  this  case.  At  child 
birth  he  was  afflicted  with  that  cursed  affection 
ophthalmia  neonatorum  which  produced  opacities  of 
the  cornea  and  as  a  result  of  this  curse  of  infancy  he 
has  been  stone  blind  all  his  life." 

After  having  displayed  this  bit  of  medical  lore  he 
stroked  his  beard,  cautiously  waiting  for  this  state 
ment  to  have  its  effect  upon  the  Judge.  As  it  seemed 
to  be  kindly  received,  he  proceeded  with  his  manu 
factured  evidence.  This  barrister  had  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  able  to  secure  —  provided  the  proper 
retaining  fee  was  in  sight  —  any  evidence,  alibi  or 
testimony  that  his  client  might  need. 

:<  This  poor  child,  your  Honor,  inherited  a  nervous 
affection  from  his  mother  and  this  has  further  in 
creased  his  physical  wretchedness.  The  crime  of 
which  this  lad  is  accused,  required  the  best  of  eye 
sight.  The  thief,  —  I  hope  he  is  caught,  —  had  to 
find  his  way  to  the  cashier's  window  and  skillfully 
steal  the  money  in  the  manner  so  accurately  described 
by  the  last  witness." 

He  further  continued,  "  To  my  mind  it  is  unreason 
able  and  absurd  to  believe  that  this  unfortunate  boy 
could  possibly  be  guilty  of  the  crime  which  he  is  al 
leged  to  have  committed ;  for  its  execution  would  re 
quire  the  best  of  eyesight,  as  said  before,  and  my 


108  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

client  is  so  blind  that  if  you,  at  this  moment,  gave 
him  his  liberty  he  would  not  be  able  to  find  his  way 
out  of  the  court-room.  You  will  perceive,  sir,  that 
any  test  for  blindness  may  be  applied  to  prove  my 
statement,"  and,  with  these  words,  he  made  a  motion 
as  if  to  strike  Jere  in  the  face,  but  Jere  remained  per 
fectly  impassive  and  apparently  unconscious  of  what 
had  happened.  And  at  this  juncture,  to  further 
impress  his  hearers  and  the  Judge,  David  Jacobs  lit 
several  matches  and  flashed  them  before  Jere's  eyes; 
but  the  latter  never  winked  an  eyelid,  but  blankly 
stared  into  the  flames. 

"  Now,  your  Honor,"  the  lawyer  resumed,  "  how 
can  a  person  so  blind  as  this  steal  a  bunch  of  bank 
notes  before  the  face  of  the  cashier;  then  success 
fully  find  his  way  out  of  the  bank  and  deliberately 
lose  himself  in  the  vast  throng  of  pedestrians  who  are 
traversing  the  streets  in  that  busy  business  section  of 
the  city  at  the  hour  when  the  robbery  was  com 
mitted?  I  readily  admit  that  this  blind  young  man 
had  the  misfortune  to  accidentally  bump  into  a 
policeman,  who,  by  the  way,  should  have  been  at  his 
post  of  duty  as  a  traffic  officer  at  the  intersection  of 
the  streets,  and  not  on  the  sidewalk  conversing  with 
a  lady  friend.  Your  Honor,  the  situation  is  just 
this:  the  arrest  of  my  client  was  purely  an  incident 
of  which  the  officer  should  be  ashamed.  A  robbery 
was  committed  at  the  bank,  we  all  admit,  but  be 
cause  the  keen-eyed,  fleet-footed  robber  made  his  get- 
a-way  this  poor  fellow  is  taken  for  a  scapegoat. 
For  you  know,  your  Honor,  somebody  had  to  be  ar 
rested  in  such  a  case;  for  the  dignity  of  the  police 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  109 

department  must  be  upheld;  and  you'll  excuse  me  if 
I  say  so.  The  reward  to  be  given  by  the  Bankers' 
Association  for  the  apprehension  of  the  criminal  is 
not  without  its  charms. 

At  this  point  the  prosecutor  objected;  but  the  ob 
jection  was  not  sustained,  and  the  legal  Shy  lock 
continued : 

"  Since  when  do  policemen  try  to  make  records  for 
themselves  by  arresting  blind  people,  innocent  of 
crime,  to  parade  them  before  the  bar  of  justice  be 
cause  they  cannot  catch  the  fellows  who  really  do  the 
work?  " 

While  making  this  statement  he  looked  squarely 
at  the  big,  burly  officer  whose  stupid  face  had  even 
turned  a  more  brilliant  turkey  red  than  was  its  usual 
color. 

"  I  would  suggest  that  such  record  seeking  officers 
direct  their  attention  and  over-zealous  activities  to 
the  County  Blind  Asylum  and  make  arrests  by  the 
wholesale  in  order  to  increase  their  reputation  for 
efficiency,  if  it  is  so  easy  to  fix  a  case  upon  an  innocent 
blind  man!  Your  Honor,  it's  a  heaven-crying  in 
justice,  and  pardon  me  my  very  personal  reference, 
you  who  have  so  nobly  filled  the  position  on  the 
bench  of  this  court  and  are  known  throughout  the 
city,  yes,  the  county  and  the  state,  as  the  most  just 
Judge  ever  incumbent  in  this  place,  will  surely  not 
now  permit  your  grand  and  well-deserving  record  to 
become  blighted  by  pronouncing  this  poor  blind  boy 
guilty  of  something  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  him 
to  do.  I  trust,  your  Honor,  the  time  has  not  ar 
rived  when  cold-hearted  corporations  in  clique  with 


110  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

conscienceless  officers  of  the  law  will  prey  upon  the 
blind  to  misapply  justice.  In  consequence  of  this 
undeniable  and  undisputable  proof  I  gave  you  a 
moment  ago  of  Jere  Patton's  inability  to  do  the 
wrong  alleged  to  have  been  committed  by  him,  I  ask 
your  Honor  to  discharge  him  as  not  guilty!  "  With 
a  pathetic,  imploring  pose  of  outstretched  hands 
towards  the  Judge,  the  unscrupulous  lawyer  con 
cluded  his  address. 

Silence  prevailed  for  a  moment,  and  even  the  ever- 
ready  prosecuting  attorney  failed  to  rise  in  protest. 
Suddenly  the  Judge  summoned  Jere  to  stand  in 
front  of  his  desk.  David  Jacobs  carefully  and 
gently  led  the  young  defendant  to  the  stand  in  the 
place  designated.  The  Judge  looked  at  Jere  for  a 
brief  moment,  finally  reached  for  his  pen,  and,  in  a 
bold,  quick  hand  wrote  across  the  warrant,  "  DIS 
CHARGED."  —  and  then  informed  the  smiling  and 
bowing  attorney  to  take  his  client  away  to  freedom. 

As  Jere  was  led  out  of  the  court-room  by  his  de 
liverer,  he  said  with  more  gratitude  in  his  heart  than 
he  had  ever  felt  before: 

"  I'll  pay  you  well  for  this !  "  to  which  Jacobs  curt 
ly  replied:  "  You  may  rest  assured  that  I  have  been 
already  well  paid,  or  I'd  never  have  bothered  myself 
about  you." 


CHAPTER  IX 

JENNIE'S  PROTEGE 

Jennie's  weekly  visits  to  the  slums  led  her  to  form 
an  acquaintance  with  a  boy  about  fifteen  years  of 
age.  She  was  especially  interested  in  him  because 
of  his  affectionate  but  wayward  disposition.  His 
case  afforded  her  an  opportunity  to  try  the  real  pur 
pose  of  her  work  among  the  city's  poor.  On  this 
visit,  however,  she  missed  him,  but  shortly  learned 
the  cause  of  his  absence.  He  had  been  arrested  on 
the  same  morning  for  robbing  the  cash  register  of  a 
saloon,  where  he  had  been  working  for  over  two 
weeks,  cleaning  the  cuspidors,  scrubbing  the  floors 
and  polishing  the  brass  of  the  bar. 

The  bartender,  who  was  always  more  or  less  in  a 
state  of  semi-intoxication,  repeatedly  left  the  cash 
drawer  open,  thereby  deliberately  putting  temptation 
in  view  of  the  youth.  For  his  menial  services  the 
lad  was  to  receive  two  dollars  a  week.  When  pay 
day  arrived,  instead  of  receiving  this  small  pittance, 
Charlie  was  informed  that  his  father  had  allowed  the 
meager  earnings  to  be  credited  to  his  bar-bill.  This 
base  trick  angered  and  embittered  the  boy;  sud 
denly  a  criminal  instinct  rose  within  him  and  the 
boy  helped  himself  to  the  cash  register,  taking  the 
amount  of  his  pitiful  wages.  Within  an  hour  he  was 
placed  under  arrest  and  sent  to  jail  to  await  trial. 

When  Miss  Gerard  learned  what  had  happened 


112  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

she  forthwith  went  to  Mr.  Kennington's  office  to 
intercede  in  behalf  of  Charlie.  In  fairness  to  her,  it 
must  be  mentioned  that  she  felt  some  diffidence 
about  visiting  Kennington,  even  on  a  matter  of 
business.  She  felt  keenly  hurt,  and  her  pride  was 
injured  because  Kennington  had  apparently  ignored 
the  communication  which  she  had  sent  him,  some 
time  before.  But  her  devotion  to  her  work  caused 
her  to  put  in  abeyance  her  personal  feelings  in  the 
matter,  and  she  entered  the  outer  offices  of  the  city 
attorney  with  eagerness. 

Luckily  for  both,  Kennington  was  not  busy  at  that 
moment  and,  as  she  opened  the  door  and  came  in,  a 
thrill  of  extreme  pleasure  passed  through  him,  as  he 
anticipated  a  delightful  visit.  Kennington  arose  to 
shake  hands  with  her  and  bade  her  sit  down;  she 
met  his  cordial  advances,  however,  with  a  little  more 
formality  and  reservation  than  she  had  shown  when 
last  she  met  him.  Kennington  was  not  slow  to 
notice  this  difference  in  her  demeanor,  and  vainly 
wondered  why  this  should  be  so.  With  a  tone  in  her 
voice  that  bespoke  business  only,  she  informed  him 
of  the  purpose  of  her  visit. 

"  I  have  come  to  see  you  about  Charlie  Quinlan, 
who  was  arrested  this  morning  charged  with  robbing 
the  till  of  the  saloon  where  he  was  working.  It  is 
true  he  committed  the  crime  and  he  does  not  deny 
it,  but  there  are,  to  my  mind,  some  mitigating  and 
extenuating  circumstances  which  the  court,  and  you 
as  prosecutor  should  know.  Understand  me;  I  have 
no  desire  to  use  any  undue  influence  upon  you  or  any 
one  to  assist  my  young  friend  —  " 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  113 

"  Lucky  chap,  indeed,  to  have  you  as  his  defend 
ant,"  Kennington  warmly  interpolated.  Ignoring 
this  remark,  Miss  Gerard  continued: 

"  This  boy's  father  a  few  years  ago  was  badly  in 
jured  in  a  rolling-mill,  losing  his  right  arm  and  a  por 
tion  of  his  right  foot.  He  was  a  laborer;  and  of 
course  this  dreadful  calamity  which  had  befallen 
him  incapacitated  him  for  further  work  at  the  plant. 
The  very  next  day  after  his  accident  the  company 
lawyer  called  on  him  at  the  hospital,  and  with  a 
wordy  show  of  friendliness  beguiled  this  unfortunate 
man  into  signing  a  paper;  in  exchange  for  which,  he 
handed  the  cripple  a  paltry  sum,  saying  as  he  did  so: 
'  This  will  bridge  you  over  your  wants,  temporarily." 
Little  did  Mr.  Quinlan  realize  that  by  accepting  this 
beggarly  settlement,  and  affixing  his  signature  to  the 
carefully  worded  document  that  he  cut  off  every 
possible  chance  for  further  financial  redress. 

'  The  necessities  of  this  man's  family  soon  de 
voured  the  little  money  received,  and  when  Charlie's 
father  recovered  from  the  accident  he  then  fully  real 
ized  the  trick  which  had  been  played  upon  him. 
From  that  time  on  he  became  morose,  cynical  and 
even  anarchistic  in  his  feelings  towards  society,  es 
pecially  corporations  and  persons  of  wealth. 

"  His  physical  infirmities,  burdened  with  the  cynic 
ism  of  his  character,  made  it  almost  impossible  for 
him  to  secure  any  employment  which  paid  wages 
sufficient  to  provide  for  himself  and  family.  The 
proverbial  wolf  of  poverty  ever  prowled  at  the  door 
of  his  miserable  home,  and  the  occasional  advent  of 
a  new  mouth  to  feed  and  a  body  to  clothe  caused  this 


114  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

man  to  grow  hopelessly  indifferent  as  to  the  method 
used  to  provide  for  the  flock  depending  on  him  for 
support.  The  consequences  being,  that  crime  soon 
lured  him  to  follow  her  footsteps,  and  a  perverted 
interpretation  of  the  universally  adopted  maxim: 
*  Self-preservation  is  nature's  first  law/  induced  him 
to  help  himself  to  the  property  of  others  indiscrim 
inately,  entirely  disregarding  the  eighth  command 
ment.  It  is  little  wonder,  then,  that  Charlie  reared 
in  such  a  stifling  moral  atmosphere,  his  childish  mind 
fed  upon  anarchisms,  became  little  by  little  an  apt 
and  adept  follower.  And  just  as  the  fledglings  of 
the  plains  and  the  forests  pursue  the  same  course 
their  parent  birds  have  taken,  so  too  this  lad,  in  his 
tender,  plastic  years,  has  started  to  travel  the  path 
way  his  father  has  blazoned  for  him.  From  his 
teachers  I  learned  that  while  irregularly  attending 
school  he  began  to  practice  small  thieveries." 

Interestedly  Kennington  followed  her  graphic  re 
cital  and  answered: 

'  Yes,  this  is  a  very  sad  but  true  story,  and  I  am 
beginning  to  see  that  our  present  system  of  dealing 
with  young  delinquents  is  far  from  what  it  should  be." 

Jennie  then  asked,  "  Mr.  Prosecutor,  will  it  not  be 
possible  for  you  to  see,  if  this  boy  must  be  tried,  that 
I  may  be  appointed  as  his  probationary  officer;  and 
I  can  assure  you  that  I  will  be  personally  responsible 
for  him." 

"  Of  course,  Miss  Gerard,  I  will  be  delighted  to 
do  anything  I  can  for  you  —  "  whereupon  she  inter 
rupted,  "  I'm  not  asking  for  any  favor  for  myself, 
but  I  am  here  solely  in  the  interest  of  Charlie." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  115 

"  Well,  I  realize  that;  but  I  would  like  for  you  to 
give  me  some  more  of  your  views  on  the  subject  of 
dealing  with  criminals,  young  or  old;  for  I've  always 
heretofore  dealt  with  crime  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  law  only.  I  will  agree  with  you  that  Charlie 
should  not  be  treated  as  a  hardened  criminal;  but 
we  should  not  fail  to  understand  that  he  should  be 
treated  as  a  delinquent  child  at  least.  We  cannot 
reform  bad  boys  by  petting  and  coddling  them  or 
feeding  them  on  sweetmeats.  If  the  rod  were  not 
spared  so  much  now-a-days  there  would  not  be  so 
many  spoiled  children." 

"  Yes,"  she  curtly  interrupted  again,  "  Mr.  Ad 
vocate  of  the  Lex  Talionis,  but  who  was  to  adminis 
ter  parental  discipline  in  this  case,  I'd  like  to  know? 
No  one  at  all." 

Kennington  answered,  "  I'll  admit  that  so  far  as 
this  case  is  concerned  there  was  no  one.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  if  the  boys  fail  to  receive  the  proper 
parental  care  they  must  be  dealt  with  as  we  find  them. 
For  instance,  the  tough  gangs  of  our  city  streets  should 
be  suppressed  by  the  police,  and  I  have  endeavored 
to  bring  about  this  reform  in  police  control;  but  up 
to  the  present  time  I  must  admit  I  have  not  suc 
ceeded  in  doing  very  much.  These  street  gangs  are 
regular  hatcheries  and  schools  for  criminals;  and  as 
long  as  these  vicious  cliques  are  permitted  to  exist  in 
their  lawlessness,  the  youths  of  our  city  will  be  led 
into  crime,  which  in  time  will  take  them  to  prison." 

"  True  enough,  Mr.  Kennington,"  Jennie  retorted. 
"  I  find  this  to  be  so  when  following  my  settlement 
work,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  crime  will  not  be  sup- 


116  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

pressed  no  matter  how  harsh  the  penalties  may  be. 
You  jurists  will  fail  so  long  as  you  continue  studying 
books  instead  of  men,  searching  in  ponderous  volumes 
for  citations,  resurrecting,  as  it  were,  decisions  from 
legal  graveyards.  You  cannot  judge  crime  that 
springs  from  disorders  of  the  mind  or  from  perverse 
social  conditions  by  measuring  it  with  these  time- 
worn  and  moth-eaten  precedents  of  the  dead  past." 

Kennington  affirmed,  "  What  you  say  is  partially 
correct;  the  law  must  be  fixed  and  supported  by  tra 
ditions;  not  subject  to  change  by  the  whims  and 
fancy  of  the  theorists  who  would  absolutely  unsettle 
our  jurisprudence.  The  criminal  must  be  sup 
pressed. 

"  But  your  legal  doctrine  of  Lex  Talionis  is  an  un 
productive  one;  a  measure  of  punishment  cannot 
balance  or  remedy  an  act  of  crime.  The  futility  of 
this  method  has  long  been  demonstrated  as  ineffec 
tive  for  the  reduction  of  crime  to  the  slightest  degree. 
You  spoke  of  endeavoring  to  suppress  the  gathering 
of  the  street  gangs  and  toughs;  why  don't  you  go  to 
the  bottom  of  their  origin,  —  the  community  saloon? 
On  the  three  corners,  where  the  streets  intersect, 
near  Charlie's  home,  stand  saloons,  casting  their 
evil,  ominous  shadows,  as  it  were,  upon  the  lives  of 
the  tenement  dwellers  of  that  section  of  the  city. 
They  are  entirely  out  of  place,  if  a  saloon  is  ever  in 
place  in  a  residence  community.  To  the  serious  and 
earnest  student  of  sociological  problems  will  come 
the  question:  how  can  these  tenement  folks  who 
have  hardly  enough  wherewith  to  clothe  and  feed 
themselves  and  to  provide  for  shelter  against  the  in- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  117 

clemencies  of  the  elements,  have  money  left  for  some 
thing  which  is  an  absolute  luxury,  and  in  fact  an  evil? 
It  does  appear  paradoxical  that  any  one  should  be 
able  to  make  a  living, — and  a  good  one  at  that,  as 
many  of  these  saloon-keepers  do  —  from  people  who 
themselves  have  naught  whereon  to  live.  But  this 
seems  to  be  the  exact  curse  of  the  community  saloon. 
It  is  like  a  huge  suction  tube,  ever  ready  to  draw 
toward  it  the  pitiful  earnings  of  the  husbands  and 
fathers  of  the  tenement  district,  starving  thereby  the 
wives  and  children.  Not  only  that,  these  saloons 
are  institutions  of  criminality,  veritable  factories  of 
criminals;  here  they  are  made,  stamped  and  pa 
tented,  as  it  were,  and  as  honest  manufacturers  stand 
by  and  protect  their  patents,  these  vicious  produc 
tions  of  the  saloon  are  protected  also.  The  criminals 
created  by  them  congregate  in  them,  laying  future 
plots;  these  gangsters  and  street  toughs  concoct  all 
sorts  of  schemes  which  they  carry  out  with  a  heart- 
lessness  akin  to  none;  and  then  they  justify  their 
criminals'  activities  by  claiming  that  the  world  owes 
them  a  living.  The  very  vitality  of  the  youths  is 
being  sucked  out,  vampire-like  in  these  obnoxious 
dives.  Inebriety  stultifies  and  dulls  the  brain  of  the 
young  men,  and  under  the  baneful  influence  of  rank 
liquors  their  consciences  become  obsolete  mentors. 
Vice  is  raised  upon  the  pedestal  virtue  once  occupied, 
and  the  crook  is  regarded  as  a  hero.  But  not  only 
upon  the  male  population  does  this  modern  Moloch 
make  his  demands  for  his  bestial  appetite,  for  young 
women  are  allured  into  these  dens  of  iniquity  also. 
All  this  goes  on  unpunished,  aye,  even  in  a  measure 


118  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

protected  by  the  laws  of  the  city,  county  and  state. 
Because  for  the  exchange  of  a  stipulated  sum  of 
money,  tainted  by  the  wailings  of  famished  children, 
the  moans  of  heart-broken  wives  and  mothers  and, 
last  but  not  least,  the  curses  of  the  dying  derelicts, 
the  saloonist  annually  gets  his  license  which  gives 
him  the  permission  and  right  to  carry  on  his  nefari 
ous  traffic  upon  the  bodies  and  souls  of  his  fellow 
men.  Law,  or  those  who  should  enforce  it,  wink  an 
eye  at  this  great  dragon  of  the  present  times  — why? 
Because  the  revenue  accruing  from  this  source  is 
providing  the  coffers  with  the  necessary  funds  from 
which  the  law  makers  and  enforcers  draw  their  fat 
salaries.  A  plain  case  of  one  crow  not  wishing  to 
pick  out  another  crow's  eyes.  Iniquity  goes  on,  and 
our  youths,  both  male  and  female,  go  down  to  perdi 
tion  in  these  congested  communities,  practically  as 
fast  as  they  are  born. 

Kennington  was  much  amazed  at  her  conception 
of  the  criminal  problem  and  warmly  stated:  "You 
should  have  been  a  barrister;  you  are  an  incarnate 
Portia!  " 

Miss  Gerard  slightly  flushed  with  displeasure  as 
she  thought  Kennington  was  ridiculing  her. 

"  Lawyer-like,  you  resort  to  ridicule  when  you  are 
lacking  in  reasonable  argument."  There  was  a 
slight  tinge  of  resentment,  born  of  sensitiveness,  in 
her  voice. 

Kennington  made  haste  to  explain  his  remark  by 
saying:  "  Be  it  far  from  me  to  make  sport  of  you  or 
any  of  your  statements.  I  fully  meant  what  I  said. 
The  professions  are  open  to  both  sexes  and  many 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  119 

are  being  nobly  filled  by  women,  and  you  would  make 
a  valuable  addition  to  the  profession  of  law.  I'd  be 
more  than  happy  to  have  you  for  my  partner." 

This  last  remark  he  added  with  a  double  meaning. 
Adroitly  he  had  prolonged  the  conversation  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  having  her  remain  longer  in  his  office. 

"  That  is  nice  of  you  to  say  as  much,"  was  the 
reply;  "  but  I  do  not  know  that  you  would  make  a 
reliable  partner  since  you  pay  so  little  attention  to 
your  correspondence." 

Kennington  stared  blankly  at  her  and  finally  said : 
:<  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Simply  this;  I  sent  you  a  letter  two  weeks  ago 
concerning  an  important  matter,  and  you  failed  to 
even  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  it.  Such  demeanor 
would  hardly  inspire  confidence  in  one  to  take  you  in 
as  a  partner,  don't  you  think  so?  "  Her  eyes  were 
wistful. 

Kennington  emphatically  replied,  "  I  did  not  re 
ceive  any  message  from  you;  and  rest  assured  had  I 
been  so  fortunate  you  would  have  received  an  im 
mediate  reply;  as  you  must  know  that  I  would  do 
anything  for  y  —  " 

'  Well,  it  doesn't  matter  now  either  way,"  Jennie 
quickly  interposed,  lightly  cutting  short  Kenning- 
ton's  ready  declaration  of  his  affection  for  her. 
Kennington  was  very  anxious  to  know  what  the 
contents  of  that  letter  might  have  been,  but  Miss 
Gerard's  reserved  demeanor  precluded  any  possible 
inquiry. 

The  following  morning  when  Charlie  Quinlan  was 
arraigned  in  court,  Kennington  arose  and  asked  the 


120  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Judge  to  suspend  sentence  upon  the  boy;  and  to 
have  Miss  Jennie  Gerard  appointed  as  his  proba 
tionary  officer.  Kennington  in  a  few  words  told  the 
Court  of  Miss  Gerard's  excellent  work  in  the  slums, 
and  said  that  no  one  was  more  qualified  to  take  care 
of  the  lad.  The  papers  were  then  made  out  by  the 
clerk.  These  she  signed  and  then  took  her  protege 
with  her  out  of  the  court-room. 


CHAPTER  X 

ASSAULT  ON  KENNINGTON 

The  same  afternoon  Miss  Gerard  secured  a  posi 
tion  for  Charlie  as  an  assistant  wrapper  in  the  ship 
ping  rooms  of  one  of  the  wholesale  jobber's  houses; 
and,  having  admonished  and  encouraged  him  to  do 
the  square  thing,  she  drove  at  once  to  her  father's 
office  down  town. 

Her  heart  was  filled  with  many  misgivings,  doubts 
and  fears.  Why  had  not  Kennington  received  the 
letter  which  she  entrusted  to  her  father  to  deliver? 
Could  there  be  some  ulterior  motive  in  his  mind? 
But  this  disagreeable  thought  was  softened  by  the 
idea  that  her  father,  during  the  press  of  his  business 
affairs,  had  forgotten  to  deliver  the  message.  It 
was  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  by  some  chance 
he  had  even  failed  to  go  to  Kennington's  office  on 
that  day.  But  whatever  the  reason  for  this  neglect 
it  temporarily  modified  her  feelings  toward  Kenning 
ton  somewhat.  She  had  judged  him  harshly  and 
hastily;  now  she  felt  repentant;  and  she  considered 
it  her  duty  to  ask  her  father  about  the  letter. 

She  found  him  seated  at  his  desk  smoking  in  a 
nervous,  uneasy  manner.  He  excitedly  twisted  a 
paper-cutter  in  his  fingers,  and  the  point  of  the  in 
strument  bored  small  disfiguring  holes  in  the  top  of 
his  beautiful  desk.  His  countenance  was  paler  than 
usual.  The  crowsfeet  about  his  eyes  and  the  wrin- 


122  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

kles  on  his  forehead  stood  out  perceptibly ;  he  seemed 
to  be  agitated  and  depressed ;  and,  in  a  manner  quite 
different  from  his  usual  vivacity,  he  called  for  his 
daughter  to  step  into  his  consultation  room  as  she 
entered  the  outer  office. 

'  What  is  it,  Jennie,  that  I  can  do  for  you?  "  he 
bluntly  asked. 

"  Father,  why  did  you  not  deliver  the  letter  to  Mr. 
Kennington  as  you  promised  to  do?  " 

"  Well,  eh-eh." 

"  I  was  dreadfully  embarrassed  today  when  I 
was  in  Mr.  Kennington's  office." 

"  It's  too  bad,  Jennie;  but  why  have  you  been  to 
his  office  again?  What  business  can  you  possibly 
have  to  take  you  there?  Folks  will  soon  be  talking 
about  it." 

"  Well,  what  if  they  do?  My  acts,  will  always 
bear  inspection;  my  social  settlement  duties  took 
me  there  and  I'll  go  where  they  take  me  as  long  as  I 
am  engaged  in  this  sort  of  work.  Of  course  my  phi 
lanthropic  efforts  in  these  sociological  affairs  do  not 
interest  the  social  gad-grinds,  except  to  furnish  them 
with  subjects  for  gossip  and  chatter.  But  to  come 
back,  I  had  judged  Mr.  Kennington  wrongly  and 
now  I  have  learned  that  it  was  not  his  fault  at  all. 
Why  were  you  so  forgetful?  " 

"  Don't  bother  about  trifles,  Jennie,  don't  be 
foolish;  what  if  I  did  forget?  No  harm  was  done. 
I  was  a  fool  for  ever  promising  that  I'd  take  the  letter 
to  him,  knowing  what  kind  of  a  rascal  he  is." 

"  Father,  tell  me,  why  do  you  abuse  Mr.  Kenning 
ton  so?  " 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  123 

"  Yes,  and  why  do  you  defend  him?  You  re 
member  that  unpleasant  evening  we  spent  some  time 
ago  discussing  this  fellow,  and  why  do  you  renew 
this  unhappy  topic  again?  I  have  enough  business 
engrossing  my  mind  without  taking  up  time  in  conver 
sation  concerning  him.  Every  day  I  am  learning 
more  new  things  about  him,  that  absolutely  prove 
that  he  is  totally  lacking  in  any  qualities  that  would 
make  him  deserving  of  even  our  slightest  acquaint 
ance.  And,  I  dare  say,  before  a  week  is  past  you 
will  be  extremely  glad  that  I  forgot  to  deliver  your 
billet-doux  to  him.  It  grieves  me  to  say  these  un 
pleasant  things,  but  I  know  them  to  be  positive 
truths.  Run  along,  dear;  tell  mother  I'll  be  home 
for  dinner  at  six.  Then  tonight  we'll  all  go  to  the 
theater  to  take  in  the  opera,  *  II  Trovatore,'  which 
will  be  a  change  from  the  unpleasant  things  in  your 
settlement  work." 

Out  of  deference  to  her  father's  wishes  and  not 
desirous  of  repeating  the  painful  interview  of  little 
over  a  week  ago,  she  went  away  unsatisfied  and 
much  disturbed  over  the  whole  affair. 

During  the  week  following  Jennie's  visit  to  his 
office,  Kennington  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  that 
his  work  of  freeing  the  city  from  the  clutch  of  the 
grafters  was  succeeding,  in  spite  of  all  opposition, 
open  and  covert,  ominous  threats  and  secret  at 
tempts  at  blackmail.  He  even  knew  that  Gerard, 
father  of  the  girl  he  secretly  loved  and  to  whom  he 
would  declare  his  love  when  time  was  propitious, 
was  co-operating  with  his  enemies.  He  had,  so  far, 
been  unable  to  secure  any  tangible  evidence  against 


124  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

the  "  boss  of  the  13th,"  but  he  was  satisfied  that 
some  incriminating  circumstances  concerning  Ger 
ard  would  present  themselves  in  the  process  of  his 
metropolitan  house-cleaning. 

There  was  the  rub.  He  loved  the  girl,  and  the  girl 
loved  her  father.  Could  she  love  the  man  who  would 
disgrace  her  parent?  But  he  never  hesitated  one 
instant  in  searching  for  evidence  that  he  absolutely 
knew  would  enmesh  Gerard  and  probably  bring  him 
face  to  face  with  the  doors  of  the  penitentiary. 

The  next  week,  much  to  the  dismay  of  the  admin 
istration  and  to  the  gratification  of  the  decent  people 
of  the  city,  two  police  captains  had  been  indicted 
for  accepting  bribes  from  a  disreputable  class.  The 
public  conscience  was  awakening  and  stirring 
itself  from  the  moral  lethargy  that  had  long  bound 
it.  Popular  opinion  was  coming  to  the  aid  of  Ken- 
nington's  efforts,  and  it  assumed  gigantic  proportions. 
The  Mayor  and  his  council  and  the  heads  of  the  de 
partments  of  the  city  government  were  fearfully  dis 
tressed  and  uneasy.  The  exposed  police  officers, 
who  were  kept  in  jail  without  bail,  could  almost 
imagine  themselves  already  in  prison.  Gerard  also 
shared  in  this  state  of  fearful  apprehension  and  anx 
iety.  The  tiny  rivulet  of  reform  that  Kennington 
had  started  was  pursuing  the  relentless  course  of  a 
wild  rushing  torrent,  sweeping  all  opposition  before 
it  as  if  it  were  mere  straw.  Gerard  tried  to  assume 
an  air  of  indifference,  and  even  bravado.  But  those 
who  knew  him  well  easily  pierced  this  insignificant 
mask  that  failed  to  hide  the  active  actual  fear  and 
terror  that  were  gnawing  at  his  mind  and  conscience. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  125 

This  exposure  of  wickedness  in  high  places  he  knew 
would  finally  engulf  him.  It  meant  disaster  and 
ruin;  he  was  growing  desperate  for  his  own  sake  and 
for  the  social  standing  of  his  wife  and  daughter.  The 
"persecutions"  of  this  fanatical  prosecutor  had  to  be 
stopped.  He  had  selected  Kennington  for  the  office 
of  city  attorney;  it  was  all  his  fault  that  this  fateful 
catastrophe  was  about  to  befall  him  and  his  cohorts. 
Since  he  was  responsible,  he  must  do  something; 
and  do  it  quickly.  .  .  . 

A  few  evenings  later  Lieut.  O'Leary,  dressed  in 
plain  clothes,  paid  a  visit  to  Dinty's  saloon.  As 
usual,  George  and  Jere  were  there,  seated  at  one  of 
the  tables,  engrossed  in  flippant  conversation,  so  that 
they  did  not  notice  the  police  officer  when  he  entered, 
especially  since  he  was  clad  in  other  than  official  uni 
form.  O'Leary  ordered  a  glass  of  beer,  and  while 
slowly  drinking  the  foaming  beverage  he  let  his  lynx 
eyes  stealthily  take  in  the  minutest  detail  of  the  place 
and  its  frequenters.  Keenly  did  he  watch  Jere's 
reflection  in  the  bar  mirror,  and  after  a  few  moments 
of  observation  and  deliberation  he  beckoned  the 
waiter  to  come  to  him,  and  in  an  undertone  said: 

"  Say,  Bill,  tell  that  kid  with  the  brown  suit  and 
golf  cap  on,  to  come  over  here;  I  want  to  talk  to 
him." 

"  All  right,  Cap.,"  the  obsequious  menial  replied, 
and  hastened  to  do  as  bidden.  Jere  at  once  com 
plied  with  the  request,  wondering  who  it  could  be 
that  wished  to  see  him.  When  approaching  the 
officer  he  smiled  in  recognition  and  asked,  "  What's 
up  now,  Lieutenant?  "  His  guilty  conscience  not 


126  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

being  quite  at  ease,  lest  some  of  his  many  mis 
deeds  might  have  found  him  out  and  the  officer  had 
come  to  warn  him. 

"  Oh,  nothing  much,  have  something;  "  and  with 
a  nod  to  the  ever-ready-to-serve  bartender  he  added : 
"  give  him  what  he  wants." 

Jere  was  not  slow  in  naming  his  favorite  brand  of 
liquor.  O'Leary  waited  until  the  youth  had  im 
bibed  the  whiskey  and  then  giving  the  bartender  a 
knowing  look,  he  said:  "  Come,  let's  go  into  the 
rear  bar  and  have  a  private  chat." 

Jere  followed  dumfounded  and  yet  not  fully 
at  ease,  though  the  officer  had  assured  him  that 
nothing  was  wrong. 

They  remained  in  this  "  blind  tiger  "  abode  twenty 
minutes  or  more  and  then  stepped  back  into  the 
main  bar-room.  Jere's  face  was  flushed  with  ex 
citement  and  an  unusual  ominous  light  emanated 
from  his  cat-like  eyes.  O'Leary  ordered  a  round 
of  drinks  for  the  two  friends  and  himself;  and 
patted  George  on  the  back  in  a  friendly  manner,  while 
he  said  to  Jere:  "Don't  forget,  Kid,  tomorrow 
night!  "  The  officer  left  well  satisfied  with  himself 
and  his  mission.  At  the  next  pay  station  he  slipped 
into  the  telephone  booth  and  called  up  Gerard.  The 
latter  answering  the  phone  was  gratified  to  recognize 
his  devotee's  voice  and  to  hear:  "  It's  all  fixed  up  for 
tomorrow  night,  Joe;  count  on  me  to  arrange  things." 

"  Good  for  you,  Michael!  "  Gerard  chucklingly 
replied. 

The  next  day  Kennington  was  surprised  to  receive 
a  telephone  message  from  a  woman  who  was  a  house- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  127 

holder  in  a  disreputable  district.  She  explained  her 
unprecedented  action  by  saying:  "I  see  by  the 
papers,  and  I  know  from  experience,  Mr.  Kenning- 
ton,  that  you  are  making  a  crusade  upon  the  grafters 
and  also  upon  those  who  are  trying  to  get  along  as 
best  they  can.  Well,  I  won't  argue  with  you  as  to 
the  latter  subject,  but  if  you  really  want  first-hand 
information  about  bribery  and  extortion  as  prac 
ticed  by  your  police  department  and  others  away  up 
in  politics,  come  and  see  me  and  I'll  give  you  facts 
which  I  know  you  will  be  very  glad  to  have." 

It  must  be  said  to  Kennington's  credit  that  he  did 
not  relish  the  idea  of  going  down  into  the  immoral 
infernoes  of  the  city,  but  information  he  desired;  and 
since  his  assistants  were  loathe  to  furnish  the  same 
for  him,  he  believed  that  he  had  no  alternative.  He 
courteously  replied  to  this  offer  and  said  that  he 
would  call  on  her  that  same  evening  about  eight 
o'clock. 

By  what  stroke  of  fate  it  was,  that  this  woman  was 
led  to  act  with  duplicity  was,  at  first  sight,  hard  to  telL 
It  may  be  that  she  saw  in  Kennington  an  enemy  and 
a  dangerous  factor  to  destroy  her  questionable  meth 
ods  of  making  a  livelihood;  and  hence,  from  a  spirit 
of  selfishness  and  self-preservation  of  personal  rights,, 
she  called  up  Gerard  who,  by  the  way,  was  her  land 
lord,  a  veritable  Shylock  at  that.  Gerard  picked 
up  the  receiver  and  bellowed  into  it,  "  Hello,  who's 
this?  " 

"  Now,  don't  get  peeved,  Joseph,"  the  woman  fa 
miliarly  purred  in  response;  "  this  is  May  talking; 
the  prosecutor,  Mr.  Kennington,  just  got  through 


128  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

telephoning  to  me  that  he  would  come  down  to  my 
place  tonight  and  gather  facts  about  the  high  rent 
and  the  taking  of  weekly  collections,  which  you  fel 
lows  make.  I  thought  you  might  be  interested  to 
know  this,"  she  added  with  a  faint  imitation  of  a 
gurgling  laughter.  Had  Gerard  seen  the  speaker's 
face  at  that  instant,  the  laugh  would  not  have  sound 
ed  so  pleasant. 

"  All  right,  May,  thank  you  for  telling  me,  al 
though  I  don't  give  ad—  -  what  that  bloodhound 
of  a  prosecutor  does,  he  can't  hurt  me."  This  last 
remark  was  meant  more  for  his  own  consolation  than 
for  the  ears  of  the  woman. 

"Say,  May,  "he  quickly  continued,  "when  that  low 
bred  sneak  comes  to  your  place  tonight  be  as  friendly 
to  him  as  you  can;  and  while  talking  let  the  maid 
come  in  and  pretend  to  fix  the  window  shade;  but  in 
reality  let  her  give  it  a  pull  so  it  will  fly  up.  Do  this 
at  eight-thirty  sharp  - 

*  What's  that  for?  "  the  woman  interrupted. 

"  Well,  by  -  — ,  can't  you  wait  till  I  get  through 
talking?  "  Gerard  bawled  back.  "  I  want  to  show 
him  up.  I  want  some  one  who  thinks  he  is  just  about 
it,  to  see  him  in  your  place,  Do  you  get  me?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do;  I  guess  it  is  one  of  your  secret 
flames  who  thinks  Kennington  looks  better  to  her 
than  you  do,"  the  woman  sneeringly  rejoined. 

"  Cut  out  that  stage  stuff,  May;  it  doesn't  need 
make  any  difference  to  you  who  the  party  is.  Do 
what  I  tell  you,  and  you'd  better,  too,"  he  threaten 
ingly  concluded. 

With  a  sinister  smile  on  her  face  which  resembled 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  129 

a  crater  of  burnt-out  passions  she  responded  in  fine: 
"  All  right,  Joseph,  I'll  do  as  you  wish;  but  don't 
think  you  bullied  me  into  it.  I'm  past  that  now; 
every  dog  has  his  day  and  the  underdog  once  in  a 
while  gets  on  top,  too.  So  long,"  she  flippantly  cut 
off  the  conversation  by  hanging  up  the  receiver. 

Beads  of  cold  sweat  suddenly  burst  out  on  Gerard's 
forehead  and  his  bovine  eyes  anxiously  surveyed  the 
walls  of  his  elegant  office. 

'(  What  did  that  confounded  wench  mean  by  that 
last  remark,  anyway?  There's  something  in  the 
wind !  Oh,  blame  it  all.  I'm  not  going  to  lose  cour 
age  just  on  the  eve  of  winning  out."  Looking  at  his 
watch  he  muttered  half  audibly:  "But  six  hours 
more,  my  ambitious  young  cock,  and  you'll  crow  no 
more;  I  almost  feel  tempted  to  send  flowers  to  your 
fune  — ,"  a  noise  in  the  outer  room  caused  him  to 
break  off  his  gruesome  soliloquy. — 


When  Kennington  had  finished  his  evening  meal 
and  hurriedly  glanced  over  the  last  issue  of  the  paper 
he  went  out  into  the  night  on  his  disagreeable,  com 
pulsory  visit  to  the  tenderloin  district.  While  riding 
in  the  street-car  the  contrast  of  the  two  worlds,  so  to 
say,  in  the  city,  was  forcibly  brought  before  his  mind. 
As  he  was  riding  along  he  passed  beautiful  homes  of 
happiness  and  moral  integrity;  healthy,  care-free 
children  were  to  be  seen  playing  together  or  eagerly 
listening  tc  the  recital  of  some  interesting  story  told 
either  by  a  loving  father  or  mother.  Peace,  content 
ment,  happiness  and  sobriety  appeared  to  be  the 
guardian  angels  of  these  cheerful  abodes. 


130  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

In  a  short  while  he  entered  a  section  of  the  city 
where  everything  was  dark  and  gloomy;  no  bright 
lights  were  in  the  windows.  Only  here  and  there  were 
hanging  over  the  doorway  lurid  red  lights,  illumina 
ting  the  assumed  name  of  a  proprietress  of  a  den  of 
vice.  The  windows  were  all  heavily  shaded;  not  a 
sign  of  life  was  visible.  Finally  he  came  to  the 
number  he  was  looking  for  and  briskly  he  ascended 
the  few  steps  leading  to  the  door.  After  ringing  the 
bell  he  was  ushered  in  by  a  colored  maid  who  eyed 
him  quite  boldly;  for  this  servant  at  once  saw  that 
Kennington  was  not  of  the  ordinary  type  of  visitors 
frequenting  this  place.  He  was  shown  in  the  front 
parlor  and  after  having  informed  the  maid  that  his 
business  was  solely  with  the  madam,  he  was  told  to 
wait.  Soon  a  woman  just  past  middle  age,  of  rather 
portly  stature  entered,  dressed  in  a  tawdry  purple 
evening  gown,  with  a  long  train  attached  to  it. 
She  was  of  medium  height;  her  coiffure  carefully 
gotten  up,  was  adorned  with  a  large  pale  yellow  tea 
rose.  Despite  the  fact  she  tried  to  shake  off  the 
idea  and  appearance  that  she  no  longer  was  the  pos 
sessor  of  her  former  youthful  charms  of  years  gone 
by,  gray  strands  of  hair  were  visible  about  her 
temples. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Kennington,  I  believe,"  she  softly  stated 
extending  her  more  plump  than  shapely  hand. 

"  I  am  glad  you  came;  I've  been  wanting  to  meet 
you  for  ever  so  long."  This  was  spoken  with  a  slight, 
coquettish  glance  at  the  young  man.  Kennington 
was  at  a  loss  how  to  reply,  for  he  was  well  aware  that 
all  this  small  talk  was  only  stereotype;  and,  no 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  131 

doubt,  was  unmeaningly  used  to  every  visitor  of  the 
net  of  this  human  spider. 

May  Carle  ton,  under  which  cognomen  she  was 
known  to  the  underworld,  at  once  perceived  that  her 
alluring  artifice  would  fall  short  of  its  mark.  Ken- 
nington  precluded  further  expressions  of  nonentities 
by  saying:  "In  accordance  with  your  telephone 
message  this  afternoon  I  came  to  learn  what  informa 
tion  you  can  give  me  which  will  assist  me  in  the 
social  reform  I  am  leading  against  the  element  which 
is  in  bitter  opposition  to  law  and  order." 

'  Yes,  Mr.  Prosecutor,  I  am  quite  interested  from 
purely  selfish  motives;  I  have  been  following  your 
vigorous  and  relentless  campaign  of  the  last  few 
months,  and,  as  I  stated  this  afternoon  over  the  wire, 
you  are  an  enemy  of  mine,  too.  Well,  every  one  is 
entitled  to  his  individual  opinion  and  I'm  not  going 
to  attempt  to  make  you  a  convert  to  my  views,  which 
I  think  I  would  have  a  hard  time  doing,"  she  smil 
ingly  remarked.  "  But,  "as  I  promised,  I  will  give 
you  facts,  Mr.  Kennington.  A  saturnine  look 
flitted  over  her  face  for  a  moment  and  then  she  said : 
"  Come  on,  let  us  sit  on  this  divan;  you're  not  afraid, 
are  you,  —  it's  a  long  story,  but  it  must  all  be  told 
that  you  may  fully  understand  the  entire  situation, 
and  mine  especially,"  she  concluded,  with  an  at 
tempt  at  sadness. 

With  diffidence  Kennington  followed  her  invita 
tion  to  sit  beside  her  on  the  luxurious  divan,  —  just 
for  two  —  for  he  did  not  wish  to  offend  the  woman, 
even  though  she  did  belong  to  an  infamous  class  of 
moral  lepers.  Just  at  that  moment  the  maid  came 


132  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

in  and  asked  the  madam  something  regarding  an 
order  for  liquid  refreshments  to  be  served  in  an  ad 
joining  parlor;  and  then,  inadvertently,  the  colored 
girl  stepped  to  the  window,  ostensibly  trying  to 
arrange  the  curtains,  when  suddenly  the  shade  shot 
upwards.  Kennington,  in  the  innocence  of  his  mis 
sion,  was  not  in  the  least  alarmed  by  the  happening, 
but  the  madam  gave  a  little  startled  cry  and  im 
pulsively  laid  her  hand  on  Kennington's  shoulder 
and  let  it  rest  there  till  the  curtain  was  restored  to 
its  former  position.  Little  did  Kennington  think 
that  the  tableau,  of  which  he  was  an  unwitting 
performer,  was  viewed  by  the  girl  he  loved  dearer 
than  anything  in  the  world,  causing  her  heart  untold 
grief  and  agony. 

"  Pardon  the  liberty  I  took  just  a  moment  ago," 
the  woman  began,  "  but  I  was  so  frightened  by  the 
accident  the  maid  had  with  the  curtain  that  I  for 
got  myself;  but,  let  me  tell  you  my  life's  history, 
Mr.  Kennington.  It  is  necessary  that  I  do  so  in 
order  for  you  to  get  a  clear  insight  into  this  world  of 
ours  so  different  from  yours.  I'll  not  tire  you,  I  as 
sure  you,"  and  before  he  could  answer  she  began: 

"  I  was  born  and  raised  in  the  country;  I  came 
from  good  parentage;  my  people  were  honest  but 
poor.  The  little  farm  which  my  dear  old  dad  tried 
so  hard  to  coax  into  yielding  an  income  to  keep  his 
family,  stubbornly  refused  to  respond  to  his  efforts. 
The  result  was,  as  we  children  grew  up  to  the  age 
where  we  might  be  able  to  earn  our  own  living,  we 
were  sent  out  into  the  world  with  only  a  fervent 
*  God  Bless  You ! '  I  came  to  this  city  to  work  as 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  133 

second  maid  in  one  of  the  fashionable  families  here. 
At  first  all  went  well  and  I  was  quite  happy.  The 
city  life,  with  its  multitude  of  diversions  and  fasci 
nations  was  entirely  new  to  me.  When  the  college 
season  came  to  an  end  the  only  son  of  the  family, 
where  I  was  working,  arrived  at  home,  and,  at  once 
to  my  discomfort  and  displeasure,  he  paid  open 
court  to  me.  His  mother  soon  saw  her  son's  in 
fatuation  and,  instead  of  telling  him  what  to  do,  she 
blamed  me  for  trying  to  catch  her  boy,  and  sum 
marily  dismissed  me.  What  little  I  had  saved  up 
soon  went,  and  I  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
next  to  do.  Mrs.  Pierce  would  not  give  me  any  rec 
ommendation,  and  then  I  was  utterly  helpless. 
When  I  had  spent  my  last  dime  for  a  noon-day 
lunch  in  one  of  the  cheap  restaurants  my  eyes  fell 
upon  the  "  ad  "  column  of  the  newspaper  lying  on 
the  table  next  to  me.  I  picked  it  up  and  eagerly 
scanned  the  page;  nothing  suitable  was  to  be  found 
save  one  advertisement.  I  finally,  with  great  hesi 
tancy,  left  the  place  to  answer  the  demand  for  one 
or  two  young  girls  of  comely  shape  and  looks  to  act 
as  substitutes  in  a  chorus  company,  called  "  The 
Follies  of  Gotham."  The  manager  treated  me  very 
kindly  and  said  he  would  give  me  a  chance,  and  so  I 
was  employed.  You'll  pardon  me  if  I  say  this;  in 
those  days  I  had  some  beauty  and  a  fairly  good 
voice;  I  was  very  apt  to  pick  up  the  roles  given  me. 
Dancing  had  always  been  my  delight  and  so  I  soon 
learned  all  those  fancy  steps  which  were  required  of 
me.  I'll  pass  over  the  various  experiences  I  was 
fated  to  go  through  and  come  to  the  point.  One 


134  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

evening,  after  the  show,  the  manager  brought  a 
young  fellow  behind  the  stage  whom  he  introduced 
as  his  personal  friend,  who  had  expressed  his  desire 
to  see  "  Florentine,"  which  was  my  stage  name.  In 
my  foolish,  youthful  vanity  I  felt  flattered  that  I 
should  be  picked  out  from  the  rest  of  the  girls  who 
had  been  much  longer  on  the  stage;  and  a  feeling  of 
dare-devilishness  overtook  me,  especially  when  I 
perceived  that  some  of  the  others  were  casting  side 
long  glances  at  my  new  admirer.  You  can  imagine 
the  rest;  fully  bent  upon  innocent  sport  only,  I  ac 
cepted  this  man's  invitation  to  dine  with  him,  and  the 
first  few  times  he  treated  me  as  a  perfect  gentleman 
should.  But  I  guess  that  is  the  way  of  man  with  a 
maid.  Soon  I  really  began  to  learn  to  love  this  man, 
and  his  flatteries  were  sweet  music  to  my  foolish 
ears,  mistaking  them,  as  I  did,  for  sincere  expressions 
of  pure  love.  Love?  Mr.  Kennington,  I've  learned 
to  despise  that  word;  it  is  a  misnomer,  a  falsehood, 
a  chimera,  an  impossibility." 

At  this  point  the  woman  became  excited;  but  no 
ticing  Kennington's  discomfiture,  she  hastened  to 
say :  "  I  sincerely  beg  your  pardon  for  growing  so 
tragic;  but  you  can't  feel  as  a  woman  does  about 
things.  To  continue,  Mr.  Gerard  —  " 

"  Gerard,  you  say?  "  Kennington  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  Gerard.  It  is  for  you  now  to  calm  yourself 
and  listen  to  the  rest." 

"  I  will  indeed,  Madam,  I  am  more  than  inter 
ested,"  Kennington  almost  apologetically  replied. 

"  Well,  Joseph  Gerard  told  me  that  he  loved  me 
and  wanted  to  marry  me,  but  that  he  could  not  do 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  135 

so  now  on  account  of  an  uncle  who  was  about  to  die 
and  was  intending  to  make  him  his  sole  heir;  and 
for  that  reason  Gerard  did  not  dare  to  offend  the  old 
man  by  marrying  any  one  but  a  girl  from  the  upper 
four  hundred.  So  we  cooed  and  billed  on,  waiting 
for  uncle  to  die.  Love  is  blind;  I  presume  that  is 
why  it  so  often  falls  and  shatters  to  pieces.  I  dearly 
loved  Joseph  and  in  a  weak  moment  yielded  to  his 
ardent  pleadings  to  become  his  common  law  wife 
till  his  relative  had  passed  away  and  he  then  could 
publicly  acknowledge  me  as  his  own.  Those  were 
joyous  days!  At  evening  I  put  all  my  soul  into  my 
work,  playing  for  my  so-called  husband,  who  occu 
pied  a  box  next  to  the  stage.  He  showered  flowers 
upon  me  and  I  became  quite  popular  with  the  audi 
ence.  But,  —  ah,  if  our  language  were  made  up 
without  the  two  little,  yet,  oh!  so  weighty  words, 
'  But  and  if  '  this  would  perhaps  be  a  happier  world. 
Gerard  soon  tired  of  me,  and  as  quickly  as  he  had 
picked  me  up,  he  dropped  me.  I  was  too  proud  to 
go  down  on  my  knees  before  him  and  I  became  hard 
ened,  and  have  been  so  ever  since.  Through  his  in 
famy  I  lost  my  position  and  then,  what  was  left? 
Hard  work  I  was  not  able  to  do.  The  past  two  years 
of  comparative  luxury  and  ease  which  I  had  learned 
to  enjoy  robbed  me  of  my  strength.  There  was  noth 
ing  left  at  which  to  make  a  living;  thus,  like  so  many 
before  me  have  done,  I  chose  the  easiest  way.  I 
know  you  don't  approve  of  it;  I  did  not  at  first,  but 
I've  become  case  hardened,  and  have  come  to  believe 
that  this  life  is  one  continuous  struggle  to  get  the 
best  of  the  next  person,  and  so  I've  been  following  the 


136  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

plan  of  catering  to  man's  depravity.  Fate  decreed 
that  Gerard,  whom  I  hate  from  the  bottom  of  my 
soul,  should  become  my  landlord;  no  other  suitable 
locality  being  available  for  my  business.  And,  think 
of  it,  the  very  hound  that  ruined  me  and  my  life  is 
now  drawing  large  sums  of  rent  from  the  erstwhile 
victim  of  his  depraved  nature!  Is  this  not  a  most 
striking  example  of  the  irony  of  fate?  But,  Mr. 
Kennington,  I  am  on  the  eve  of  my  revenge;  and  I 
shall  most  relentlessly  go  on  with  it.  I'll  be  willing 
to  testify  on  oath  in  court  that  Gerard,  for  the  past 
eighteen  years,  has  owned  all  these  houses  from 
number  412  to  420;  five  houses  all  told,  and  has  ex 
torted  blood  money  for  rents;  and  not  only  that,  but 
through  heartless  men,  like  himself,  has  innocent 
girls  sent  down  here.  Oh,  he  is  smart;  he  does  not 
collect  the  rent  himself;  but  his  agents  do.  Then 
once  in  a  while  the  police  come  around  and  demand 
an  exorbitant  fee  for  hush-money  and  safety  against 
raids." 

At  this  juncture  the  maid  stepped  in  and  said, 
"  Officer  to  see  you,  Ma'am." 

In  a  low  whisper  the  woman  said  to  Kennington, 
"  Excuse  me  a  moment,  please." 

Kennington's  interest  was  keyed  to  the  highest 
pitch.  He  felt  a  great  feeling  of  pity  for  the  poor 
woman  who  had  just  bared  her  both  shameful  and 
pitiful  life's  history  to  him.  Soon  he  heard  the  angry 
voice  of  the  officer  exclaim,  "  Well,  you  know  what's 
what,  May,  if  you  don't  come  through  with  the  coin, 
Gerard  will  either  raise  your  rent  or  let  the  police 
raid  you,  and  you  know  that  the  prosecutor  will  raise 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  137 

The  woman  was  then  heard  to  say,  "  Wait  a  min 
ute,  I'll  be  right  back."  Quickly  she  came  to  Ken- 
nington  and  stated,  "  What  shall  I  do?  O'Leary 
wants  one  hundred  dollars  and  I  can  ill  afford  it; 
only  last  week  I  gave  him  seventy -five." 

Silently  Kennington  reached  into  his  inner  pocket 
and  from  the  wallet  he  extracted  a  new  one  hundred 
dollar  bill,  which  he  carefully  marked  and  gave  to  the 
astounded  woman. 

'  Take  this,  pay  him  and  send  him  on  his  way." 

When  she  turned  her  back  to  go  to  the  officer, 
Kennington  tiptoed  to  a  position  behind  the  curtain, 
drawing  it  aside  from  the  door  casing,  sufficiently  to 
peep  through,  witnessed  the  whole  transaction. 
When  it  was  done  the  woman  returned  and  with  a 
long  searching  look  at  Kennington's  countenance 
wreathed  in  deep  thought,  she  said:  "Why  did  you 
do  that?  I  am  nothing  to  you.  I  belong  to  the 
despised  of  the  world's  society.  And  with  a  pas 
sionate  sob  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 
Kennington  arose  and  very  tactfully  said:  "  Madam, 
I  am  your  debtor  for  what  you  have  divulged  to  me 
this  evening,  and  don't  let  this  sum  I've  handed  you, 
worry  you.  The  information  I  have  secured  is  very 
valuable.  Eventually  your  present  practice  of  pro 
curing  a  living  will  be  forbidden  and  cut  off;  do  not 
lose  heart,  it  is  never  too  late  to  turn  back  and  go  in 
another  direction.  Rest  assured  that  I  for  one  will 
do  all  I  can  do  to  help  you  get  right;  but  you  must 
be  willing  to  do  so  unreservedly,  and  cut  all  ties  which 
would  drag  you  back." 

Silently  the  woman  shook  hands  with  him;  and, 


138  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

contrary  to  her  usual  custom,  escorted  him  to  the 
door  and  let  him  out  into  the  street.  When  Ken- 
nington  had  gone  she  returned  to  the  room  where 
they  had  been  sitting.  A  terrible  look  of  hatred  and 
revenge  distorted  her  features.  "  Joseph  Gerard, 
at  last  I  am  revenged,"  she  breathed. 

Then  feminine-like,  she  gave  vent  to  her  long  pent- 
up  feelings  of  emotion  and  sank  back  upon  the  divan 
softly  crying  to  herself,  saying  repeatedly:  "Why 
could  I  not  have  met  a  real  man  like  this  Mr.  Ken- 
nington,  instead  of  that  fiend,  Gerard?  " — 

Earlier  in  the  day,  having  received  the  message 
over  the  telephone  from  May  Carleton,  Gerard  at 
once  got  in  communication  with  Lieut.  O'Leary  at 
police  headquarters. 

"  Here's  our  opportunity;  our  young  apostate  is 
going  to  pay  a  social  visit  to  May  Carleton  this 
evening.  Here's  your  chance;  do  not  let  it  slip  by!  " 
Having  concluded  this  brief  conversation  he  also 
called  up  his  daughter  and  said  to  her:  "Jennie, 
though  it  is  extremely  painful  to  me  and  may  like 
wise  hurt  your  feelings,  yet  I  am  duty  bound,  as  your 
parent,  for  your  future  welfare  and  happiness  to  take 
you  for  a  little  ride  into  the  degraded  portion  of  the 
city  tonight." 

'*  Why,  father,  how  could  such  a  journey  be  of  the 
least  benefit  to  me?  If  there  is  someone  whom  I  could 
help  down  there,  of  course,  I'll  be  glad  to  go."  — 

The  old  man  chuckled  to  himself  diabolically  that 
evening  as  he  and  his  daughter  entered  their  car 
and  drove  away.  Within  a  short  while  they  passed 
from  the  rows  of  beautiful  houses  in  the  residential 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  139 

district  down  into  the  region  of  the  underworld, 
where,  in  the  poorly  lighted  street,  skulked  the  shad 
owy  figures  of  human  beings  as  they  slipped  in  and 
out  of  familiar  haunts.  Shortly  the  machine  was 
driven  up  to  the  curbstone  opposite  May  Carleton's 
den  of  infamy.  Gerard  at  once  ordered  his  chauffeur 
to  put  out  the  lights  and,  turning  to  Jennie,  whis 
pered:  "Keep  your  eyes  open,  daughter,  and  per 
haps  you'll  see  something  that  may  be  of  greatest 
importance  to  you." 

They  sat  in  perfect  silence  for  a  minute  or  two. 
To  Miss  Gerard  that  period  of  waiting  seemed  like 
ages.  Occasionally  she  could  indistinctly  hear  coarse 
voices,  mingled  with  shrieks  and  spasms  of  hilarity 
coming  from  female  throats.  There  was  a  clatter  of 
feet,  suggestive  of  dancing,  and  strains  of  syncopated 
music  grated  harshly  on  her  ears,  accustomed  to  and 
fond  of  classic  music  only.  Half  angrily  she  mused 
to  herself,  "  For  what  possible  reason  can  father 
want  me  here?  " 

No  sooner  had  this  thought  passed  through  her 
mind  than  she  was  given  a  great  start.  She  per 
ceived  Kennington  through  the  lighted  window 
where  a  curtain  had  suddenly  been  drawn,  convers 
ing  in  his  pleasant,  friendly  manner  with  one 
whose  face,  even  at  the  distance,  bore  the  marks  of 
vice  and  dissipation.  As  she  gazed  in  silent,  painful 
horror,  this  creature  of  the  demi-monde  boldly 
patted  Kennington  upon  the  shoulder.  Gerard  tri 
umphantly  exclaimed,  "  See  for  your  self,  dear,  what 
kind  of  a  fellow  your  self -created  hero  is!  Now  you 
know  why  I  hate  him." 


140  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

With  a  stifled  sob  she  replied,  "  Take  me  home; 
I  have  nothing  to  say."  On  the  way  back  Gerard 
spoke  to  the  silent  girl  at  his  side,  "  I  have  always  had 
a  wholesome  dislike  for  would-be  reformers.  This 
one  is  a  splendid  example  of  that  caliber  of  people; 
he  is  a  model  of  virtue  by  day  and  another  man  by 
night.  It's  too  bad  I  did  not  discover  this  double- 
dealing  character  of  his  when  first  I  met  him." 

To  all  this  tirade  Jennie  made  no  reply.  She  was 
very  glad  that  it  was  night,  and  dark;  for  had  he 
been  able  to  observe,  he  might  have  seen  that  her 
face  was  alternately  blanched  and  suffused  with 
scarlet.  Dejectedly  she  thought  of  Kennington 
whom  she  had  raised,  in  spite  of  her  father's  bitter 
accusations,  upon  a  high  pedestal  of  honor,  regarding 
him  as  a  paragon  of  manhood.  How  could  he  appear 
to  be  so  interested  in  the  uplift  of  humanity  and  at 
the  same  time  be  a  habitue  of  such  a  place?  Her 
idol  seemed  shattered;  and  yet,  in  her  almost  broken 
hearted  despair  and  wounded  pride,  her  intuition 
seemed  vaguely  to  tell  her  that  there  was  some  mys 
tery  about  the  whole  affair  which  time  alone  would 
make  clear.  Little  did  she  dream  as  she  was  being 
driven  home  by  her  rascally  father,  that  the  man 
whom  she  loved,  but  whose  character  and  reputation 
was  now  clouded  by  circumstantial  evidence,  was 
lying  insensible  in  a  pool  of  blood  on  the  sidewalk, 
stealthily  shot  by  the  cowardly  hand  of  a  would-be 
assassin,  hired  by  her  own  father  and  Lieut.  O'Leary. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  NOOSE  TIGHTENS 

When  Kennington  regained  consciousness  he  found 
himself  in  a  snowy  white  bed  in  a  dimly  lighted 
room  at  St.  Mark's  Hospital.  He  felt  considerable 
pain  in  his  left  limb,  and  he  was  unable  to  move  that 
injured  member  which  had  been  bound  in  a  case 
ment  of  gauze  and  bandages.  The  whole  situation 
was  indistinct  and  vague  to  his  bewildered  mind. 

While  he  was  endeavoring  to  rise,  a  nurse  arose 
from  a  chair  at  the  head  of  his  bed  and,  perceiving 
that  he  was  awake,  she  said:  "  Keep  quiet,  Mr.  Ken 
nington,  everything  is  all  right,"  to  which  he  an 
swered  feebly.  "  If  it  is  so,  why  am  I  here?  " 

She  made  no  reply,  but  by  putting  a  finger  to  her 
lips  indicated  that  he  must  be  silent,  then  dimmed 
the  light  and  quietly  left  the  room.  In  the  morning, 
when  he  awoke,  the  sun  was  brightly  streaming  into 
his  window,  and  the  hands  of  the  little  china  clock 
at  his  bedside  table  were  pointing  to  the  hour  of 
nine.  While  he  was  musing  to  himself,  trying  to 
solve  the  mystery,  the  house  physician  came  in,  clad 
in  a  white  linen  uniform.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you 
doing  so  well,  Mr.  Kennington,"  he  said  brightly. 

"  Good  morning,  doctor,  I  know  I  am  in  good 
hands;  but  will  you  please  tell  me  the  meaning  of 
all  this;  and  what  is  the  matter  with  my  leg?  " 


142  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Oh,  nothing  serious  so  far  as  getting  well  is  con 
cerned.  Some  cowardly  gunman  shot  you  in  the 
fleshy  part  of  the  thigh  last  night,  while  you  were 
walking  down  the  street.  The  bullet  made  a  nasty, 
ragged  wound  in  the  muscles,  and  you  fainted  from 
the  pain  and  loss  of  blood.  You  were  found  uncon 
scious  by  some  passer-by,  who  telephoned  to  the  hos 
pital,  and  then  you  were  promptly  brought  in.  The 
injury  is  not  serious;  but  it  will  keep  you  here,  no 
doubt,  for  about  two  weeks." 

"  Two  weeks?  That  is  a  terribly  long  while, 
doctor,  and  I  have  so  much  to  do  at  present." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that;  but  you  cannot  go  until  you 
are  well." 

Kennington  felt  extremely  impatient  and  angered 
that  he  should  have  to  be  in  retirement  just  when  his 
battle  for  reform  was  growing  exciting  and  interest 
ing;  but  with  the  wisdom  of  a  philosopher,  he  gently 
settled  himself  back  among  his  pillows  determined 
to  make  the  best  of  his  compulsory  retreat. 

The  early  morning  papers  announced  across  their 
front  pages  in  glaring  latters: 

THE    CITY   PROSECUTOR   SHOT    BY   A   WOULD-BE 

ASSASSIN!    CIRCUMSTANCES  SURROUNDING  THE 

EXTRAORDINARY   SHOOTING   ENSHROUDED 

WITH  CONSIDERABLE  MYSTERY!    THE 

MURDEROUS  ATTEMPT  WAS  MADE 

IN  THE  TENDERLOIN  DISTRICT 

OF  THE  CITY!       GOSSIP 

AND  RUMOR  ARE 

RIFE' 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  143 

To  Kennington's  window,  on  the  third  floor,  there 
rose  the  lusty  cries  of  the  newsboys  who  kept  con 
tinually  shouting: 

"  Huxtry!  Huxtry!  All  about  the  big  shootinV 

Almost  impatiently  he  pressed  the  button  of  his 
call-bell  at  the  head  of  his  bed,  and  in  a  moment  or 
two  the  nurse  appeared. 

:*  Will  you  please  get  me  a  morning  paper,  at  once? " 

"  I  will  if  the  doctor  approves  of  it." 

"  Never  mind  the  doctor!  "  he  petulantly  replied. 
'  Very  well;  I  will  get  you  one  with  the  doctor's 
permission." 

In  a  few  minutes  she  returned  with  the  morning 
sheet,  and  said  as  she  handed  it  to  him;  "  Here,  but 
do  not  fret  yourself  about  this  affair  at  all;  or  else 
you'll  make  your  wound  worse  and  delay  recovery." 

With  eager  hastiness  Kennington's  eyes  devoured 
the  headlines;  but  when  he  came  to  the  part  sug 
gesting  that  unpleasant  rumors  were  abroad,  as  to 
the  reason  for  his  presence  in  the  district,  his  face 
grew  pale;  his  lips  became  drawn  and  blanched  at 
the  thought  that  the  paper  should  so  insinuatingly 
impugn  the  motives  of  his  excursion  to  the  disreputa 
ble  portion  of  the  city.  The  thought  angered  him 
greatly;  and  yet  he  saw  how  easy  it  was  that  the 
public  should  misunderstand  the  situation.  As  he 
thought  more  of  the  matter  he  became  composed.  He 
was  indeed  thankful  that  no  mention  had  been  made 
of  his  visit  to  the  Carleton  house,  since  that  informa 
tion  would  have  given  ground  for  further  disagree 
able  conjectures  and  surmises.  For  the  reading 
world  is  only  too  ready  to  lend  a  credulous  ear  to 


144  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

scandalous  stories  of  those  who  are  in  the  public 
eye. 

After  carefully  reading  the  newspaper  Kennington 
again  summoned  the  nurse  and  asked  that  she  at 
once  get  in  communication  with  the  confidential  re 
porter  of  the  Daily  Chronicle  and  request  him  to  call 
at  the  hospital  immediately.  In  the  mean  time 
while  impatiently  waiting  for  that  person's  arrival,  a 
card  was  brought  to  him  by  the  hospital  orderly 
bearing  the  name 


Miss  MAY  CARLETON 


He  was  greatly  surprised  that  this  individual 
should  wish  to  see  him;  but  since  she  had  supplied 
him  with  valuable  information  the  night  before,  he 
could  not  do  other  than  permit  her  to  come  in.  Ac 
companied  by  the  nurse,  the  Carleton  woman  entered 
the  room.  With  a  display  of  genuine  concern  she 
inquired  as  to  his  condition.  Kennington  thanked 
and  assured  her  that  he  was  getting  along  very  well. 
Whereupon  his  visitor  with  a  covert  side-glance  at  the 
nurse  stated  that  she  had  certain  news  of  a  strictly 
private  nature  to  impart  to  him.  Tactfully  Ken 
nington  asked  the  nurse  to  retire,  which  the  latter 
did,  deeply  wondering  what  possible  relationship  this 
woman,  whose  type  and  demeanor  were  of  unmis 
takable  stamp,  could  have  with  the  patient.  After 
the  nurse  had  gone,  Miss  Carleton  carefully  closed 
the  door  to  make  sure  that  the  information  she  had 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  145 

for  Kennington  could  not  possibly  become  the  prop 
erty  of  other  ears  than  the  ones  for  which  it  was  in 
tended.  She  proceeded  at  once  by  asking,  "  Mr. 
Kennington,  do  you  have  any  idea  who  shot  you  last 
night?  " 

"  I  suppose  some  one  of  my  political  enemies  did: 
but  I  could  not  even  surmise  who  the  gunman  might 
have  been,  since  this  dastardly  act  was  committed 
behind  my  back."  Kennington  wonderingly  replied. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you,"  the  woman  continued; 
"  after  you  left  my  house,  Mr.  Kennington,  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Jere  Patton  came  in,  and  in  his 
usual  fool  way  flashed  a  roll  of  bills.  He  soon  got  to 
a  point  where  he  began  to  talk.  He  told  that  the 
money  he  had  was  the  easiest  he  had  ever  made. 
He  declared  O'Leary  had  given  it  to  him  for  prom 
ising  to  shoot  you;  and  then  he  boasted  how  he  got 
you.  He  tendered  me  the  very  same  one  hundred 
dollar  bill  you  bade  me  give  O'Leary;  and  I'll  keep 
it  to  be  used  as  evidence  against  the  miserable  coward 
of  a  lieutenant." 

Kennington  thanked  the  woman  for  this  unex 
pected  and  unsolicited  information,  and  before  she 
could  say  anything  further  in  stepped  the  reporter 
unannounced.  With  a  hasty  good-bye  May  Carle- 
ton  left  the  room  and  the  newspaper  man  stared 
curiously  after  her. 

"  Pardon  me  for  interrupting  your  conversation. 
I  hurried  from  the  office  to  answer  your  call,  which 
the  nurse  said  was  urgent,  and  I  did  not  expect  to 
find  company  here,  or  else  I  would  have  rapped  on 
the  door  and  waited  for  your  summons." 


146  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Kennington  smiled  faintly  and  replied,  No 
harm  done,  we  were  through  talking.  I  am  very  glad 
to  see  you.  I  wish  to  give  you  just  a  little  bit  of 
true  information,  with  which  you  may  allay  the  pub 
lic  mind.  The  time  is  not  yet  ripe  for  full  details, 
but  those  you  will  receive  later.  We  all  know  every 
one  is  anxious  to  learn  what  the  next  move  will  be 
in  this  game  of  cleaning  out  the  grafters.  Since  it 
appears  that  there  is  much  question  and  rumor 
abroad  as  to  why  I  happened  to  be  in  the  district 
where  I  was  shot  you  may  quote  me  as  saying,  that  I 
was  strictly  attending  to  my  official  business.  I  found 
it  simply  impossible  to  obtain  the  information  that  I 
needed  from  the  police  officers  of  that  district,  there 
fore  I  took  the  matter  in  my  own  hand;  went  down 
into  the  underworld  and  secured  enough  evidence  to 
carry  out  my  plan  of  civic  reform.  I  was  shot  from 
the  rear  by  a  hired  gunman  whose  identity  is  known, 
as  well  as  that  of  those  who  hired  him.  Several  ar 
rests  will  be  made  within  the  next  twenty -four  hours, 
and  it  will  not  be  surprising  that  some  of  the  '  City 
Fathers  '  will  be  very  much  embarrassed  before  this 
matter  is  settled,"  he  concluded  his  remarks  with  a 
determined  click  of  his  square  cut  jaw.  The  re 
porter  thanked  him  profusely,  delighted  over  this 
great  scoop  for  his  paper,  and  wishing  him  a  speedy 
recovery  he  departed. 

Somewhat  fatigued  because  of  these  interviews 
and  his  weakened  condition  owing  to  the  loss  of  blood 
the  night  before,  Kennington  wearily  closed  his  eyes 
and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  gave  himself  over  to  sleep, 
nature's  sweet  restorer. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  147 

The  news  of  Kennington's  attempted  assassina 
tion  was  quite  a  shock  to  Jennie.  Though  she  had 
seen  him  the  evening  before  in  a  very  compromising 
situation,  she  still  could  not  free  her  mind  of  him. 
Several  times  during  the  day  she  called  up  the  hos 
pital,  to  inquire  how  he  was  getting  along,  refusing 
to  divulge  her  identity,  each  time  stating  that  it  was 
simply  a  friend  who  had  inquired.  As  she  picked  up 
the  evening  paper  her  eyes  fell  upon  the  lines: 

"  KENNINGTON  ISSUES  STATEMENT  FROM  SICK  BED 
IN  THE  HOSPITAL!  " 

Eagerly  she  devoured  the  account.  During  the 
reading  of  the  item  her  heart  was  filled  with  dual 
emotions  and  furtively  she  wiped  away  the  tears 
which  welled  up  within  her  eyes.  She  was  filled  with 
a  spirit  of  self-resentment  and  chagrin,  that  she 
should  have  so  misjudged  Kennington  the  night  be 
fore,  when  he  was  only  bent  upon  a  mission  of  duty. 
The  truth  of  the  matter  of  the  whole  affair  was  so 
entirely  different  from  the  construction  which  her 
father  had  put  upon  Kennington's  visit,  and  from 
what  he  was  anxious  to  have  her  surmise.  A  tinge 
of  suspicion  permeated  her  mind  as  she  analyzed  the 
details  of  the  occurrence;  and  she  could  not  help 
being  incensed  at  her  father's  apparent  duplicity. 
"  How  did  he  know  that  Mr.  Kennington  was  down 
in  that  district,  and  in  that  particular  place?  "  With 
her  characteristic  firmness  and  resolution,  she  at 
once  determined  to  speak  to  her  parent  about  it. 
Gerard  did  not  come  home  till  late  that  night,  but 
Jennie  intercepted  him  as  he  passed  through  the  hall 
to  retire  to  his  room  at  once. 


148  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Father,  did  you  read  Mr.  Kennington's  state 
ment  about  the  shooting  last  night?  " 

"  Yes,  what  of  it?  " 

"  I  believe  it  throws  a  great  light  upon  the  visit  of 
which  we  have  judged  him  so  harshly." 

"  Tut,  tut,  what  possesses  you?  Why  do  you 
bother  me  and  yourself  with  that  fellow?  Of  course 
we  all  knew  he  would  make  a  statement  in  the  paper." 

"  Well,  if  you  do  not  believe  what  he  says  how 
would  you  account  for  his  being  shot?  " 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  he  got  into  a  quarrel  with  some  of 
the  frequenters  of  the  district;  a  fight  ensued  and  he 
was  shot.  Had  he  stayed  away  from  such  places  he 
would  not  be  in  the  hospital  now,  and  as  it  is,  it 
serves  him  right,"  he  testily  responded.  :<  Let  me 
go  now  for  I  am  tired!  " 

"  Just  a  minute,  father,  I  have  worried  so  much 
about  the  matter  all  day;  and  I  believe  we  have 
been  entertaining  evil  opinions  of  Mr.  Kennington. 
I  feel  that  it  is  no  more  than  right  that  we  should 
discuss  this  matter  at  least  for  a  few  minutes.  Have 
you  any  reason  to  believe  that  the  statement  you 
have  just  made  is  correct,  or  is  it  merely  a  supposi 
tion  on  your  part?  " 

"  Why  do  you  catechise  your  father?  Do  you 
think  that  I  would  wilfully  misrepresent  things?  " 

"  No,  of  course  not." 

"  Then  why  are  you  interested  in  these  sordid, 
muck-raking  things  at  all?"  Gerard,  who  was  grow 
ing  thoroughly  impatient  by  this  time,  angrily  asked, 
"  What  is  that  fellow  to  you?  " 

"Father,  you  have  not  answered  my  question. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  149 

You  took  such  great  pains  last  night  to  show  me 
what  an  apparently  wicked  man  Mr.  Kennington  is. 
Do  you  really  know  the  actual  purpose  of  his  visit  to 
that  house;  and  how  came  you  to  know  of  it?  " 

"I  do  not  care  to  discuss  newspaper  scandal 
further,  and  common  decency  forbids  me  to  reply." 
Whereupon  Jennie  remarked: 

"  I  thoroughly  believe  what  Mr.  Kennington  says; 
but  why  should  you  be  so  averse  to  accept  his  state 
ment  as  true?  If  Kennington  was  not  shot  by 
an  assassin,  who  did  shoot  him,  do  you  know?  " 

"  How  should  I  know?  " 

"  Mr.  Kennington  was  shot  in  the  back  by  a  thief 
and  a  pickpocket  who  was  given  money  to  commit 
this  dastardly  deed;  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  he  will 
be  apprehended  as  well  as  his  cowardly  accomplices." 

"It's  a  lie!"  Gerard  shouted,  his  face  turning 
ashen  pale. 

Quietly,  Jennie  replied,  "  I  am  surprised  to  hear 
you  speak  in  such  ungentlemanly  terms,  so  con 
trary  to  your  usual  way  of  speaking;  but  if  it  is  a  lie, 
prove  it  to  be  such." 

Gerard  sulkily  retorted,  "  I  presume  you  have  been 
visiting  Kennington  at  the  hospital  and  he  has  filled 
your  mind  with  wild,  unreasonable  tales  and  doubts. 
He  has  actually  taught  you  to  disbelieve  and  hate 
your  father.  I'll  get  him  for  that." 

"  I  have  not  visited  nor  spoken  to  Mr.  Kenning 
ton  since  he  was  taken  to  the  hospital ;  but  I  am  only 
sorry  now  that  I  have  not.  I  believe  that  he  has  been 
shamefully  treated  and  wronged.  He  has  tried  to 
carry  out  the  duties  of  his  office,  honestly  and  fear- 


150  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

lessly,  and  as  a  result  he  has  been  hated,  hounded  and 
persecuted  by  crooked  politicians."  Her  eyes  flashed 
brilliantly  and  her  bosom  heaved  and  fell  rapidly  as 
she  continued: 

"  Even  the  police  and  detective  forces  have  de 
liberately  refused  to  do  their  duty  when  he  sent  them 
upon  errands  to  discover  wickedness  in  high  places, 
to  locate  persons  implicated  in  taking  bribes  for 
carrying  on  iniquity." 

Gerard  scowled,  and  his  face  was  darkened  with 
anger  as  he  endeavored  to  interrupt  her  conversa 
tion,  but  she  kept  on  undauntedly :  "  These  would- 
be  officers  of  the  law  tried  to  deceive  him  and  refused 
to  do  their  duties;  and  thus  it  became  necessary  for 
Mr.  Kennington  to  visit  the  disreputable  plague 
spots  of  our  city,  which  the  wicked  administration 
has  allowed  to  remain.  Just  as  he  says  here  in  the 
paper  tonight,  he  has  obtained  first-hand  informa 
tion  against  the  grafters  and  because  he  is  a  brave 
man,  fearlessly  doing  his  duty,  those  whose  business 
it  is  to  see  that  law  is  enforced,  had  him  shot  in  the 
back  by  an  assassin  under  cover!  " 

"  Who  has  told  you  this  pack  of  lies?  " 

"  It's  the  truth,  father,  it's  the  truth;  and  not  lies 
at  all !  "  She  warmly  replied,  "  and  I  am  going  to 
help  him,  if  he  will  let  me,  for  —  I  love  him,"  she 
concluded  almost  hysterically;  and  then  without 
noticing  her  father  who  was  leaning  heavily  against 
the  hall  table,  trembling  with  both  rage  and  fear, 
she  quickly  turned  and  left  for  her  room. 

The  following  morning  she  sent  Kennington  a  large 
bouquet  of  roses  with  a  little  note  attached,  express- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  151 

ing  her  hopes  for  his  speedy  recovery.  This  was  done 
partly  to  assuage  her  conscience  for  having  censured 
Kennington  wrongly,  and  partly,  as  the  reader  will 
surmise,  as  a  token  of  friendship  which  had  changed 
into  deeper  affection.  When  the  nurse  brought  in 
the  flowers  and  the  note,  Kennington's  joy  knew  no 
bounds,  and  while  pressing  the  roses  to  his  nostrils  to 
inhale  their  sweet  fragrance,  he  stealthily  pressed  a 
kiss  upon  the  soft  petals.  To  the  nurse,  who  se 
cretly  smiling,  had  watched  him  he  said;  "  Will  you 
kindly  call  up  Miss  Gerard  at  her  residence  and  ex 
tend  my  sincerest  thanks  for  her  considerate  remem 
brance  and  tell  her  that  my  pleasure  and  gratitude 
for  these  flowers  could  only  be  increased  by  a  per 
sonal  call  from  her."  Boyishly  he  added,  "  Be  sure 
and  tell  me  what  she  says  in  return.  Go  now  and 
telephone,  like  the  good  young  lady  that  you  are." 

With  a  passing  thought  of  the  lines  in  Whittier's 
famous  "  Maud  Muller,"  "  It  might  have  been!  " 
the  nurse  went  on  her  way  to  do  as  bidden. 

That  afternoon  Jennie  drove  to  the  hospital  in  her 
electric  coupe,  and  alighting  from  it  glanced  at  the 
many  bright  windows  of  the  magnificent  structure, 
secretly  wondering  which  might  be  the  one  belonging 
to  Kennington's  room.  Soon  she  was  taken  up  in 
the  elevator  to  the  third  floor  and  then  brought  face 
to  face  with  the  man  she  loved.  Her  heart  gave  a 
joyful  flutter  as  Kennington  greeted  her  with  a 
bright  smile  and  eyes  beaming  with  delight.  The 
nurse  at  once  saw  that  she  was  not  needed,  and  quiet 
ly  disappeared.  For  a  moment  there  was  an  awk 
ward  silence,  but  Jennie  soon  broke  it  by  seating 


152  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

herself  at  his  bedside  and  saying:  "  Little  did  I  think 
when  last  we  parted  that  I  should  see  you  next,  lying 
here  in  the  hospital,  Mr.  Kennington.  It  is  an  out 
rage,  an  indescribable  shame,  really  I  cannot  find 
words  sufficient  to  express  myself  concerning  this 
lamentable  happening,  and  I  told  my  father  the  same, 
too,"  she  added,  with  a  saucy  little  shake  of  her 
pretty  head.  Kennington  almost  felt  like  blessing 
his  would-be  assassin,  that  his  vicious,  cowardly  act 
was  responsible  for  bringing  the  dearest  girl  in  the 
world  to  him. 

"  I  am  indeed  very  thankful  to  you  for  coming, 
Miss  Gerard,  and  feel  amply  repaid  for  my  incon 
veniences,  since  you  are  so  nobly  defending  me." 

'  You  need  no  defense,  Mr.  Kennington,  in  spite 
of  all  the  unpleasant  things  that  were  suggested  in 
yesterday's  morning's  paper." 

"  I  can  hardly  wait  until  I  am  well  again  in  order 
to  take  up  the  work  and,  with  you  for  my  ally,  I 
know  —  I  will  win." 

'  You  can  count  on  me  to  assist  you  in  every 
way  possible." 

"  I  hope  you  may  always  feel  like  that!  "  he  replied 
with  a  meaning  look  that  portrayed  his  feelings 
toward  her  very  plainly.  A  faint  blush  stole  over  her 
cheeks  as  she  perceived  the  double  import  of  his 
words. 

"  I  hope  the  guilty  are  quickly  caught  and  brought 
to  justice  very  speedily,  not  only  the  would-be  assas 
sin,  but  also  the  police  officials  and  politicians  who 
hired  him." 

A  feeling  of  intense  pain  shot  through  Kennington's 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  153 

heart  at  this  last  remark  of  the  fair  girl,  for  he  knew 
that  his  visitor  did  not  realize  that  she  was  condemn 
ing  her  own  parent.  She  would  in  time  learn  the 
painful  truth  of  her  father's  complicity  with  Jere 
Patton's  crime.  But  Kennington  dismissed  this 
somber  thought  and  left  it  for  the  future  to  take  care 
of.  The  golden  present  was  his  to  enjoy  and  why 
should  he  permit  it  to  be  blighted  with  disagreeable 
thoughts?  Only  too  soon  for  Kennington  did  the 
time  arrive  when  Miss  Gerard  had  to  leave,  and  as 
she  extended  her  beautiful,  soft,  warm  hand  in  fare 
well,  he  gave  it  a  hearty  pressure  which  she  faintly 
returned.  Though  hardly  any  words  were  spoken, 
their  eyes  and  hearts  telegraphed  to  one  another  the 
message  of  love,  which  their  lips  did  not  utter. 
When  she  was  gone,  Kennington  worried  as  to  the 
outcome  of  affairs.  He  stood,  as  it  were,  at  the 
parting  ways  of  Love  and  Duty  and,  though  he  lit 
erally  adored  the  girl,  his  high  sense  of  duty  bade  him 
to  continue  the  pathway  he  had  so  fearlessly  begun 
to  trod. 

Little  he  dreamed  that  fate  had  decreed  that  Jen 
nie  should,  in  a  most  unusual  way,  be  apprised  of  her 
father's  rascality  and  dual  nature;  and  that  he  would 
after  all  be  spared  the  painful  duty  of  inflicting  the 
heart-rending  knowledge  and  grief  upon  the  one  he  so 
dearly  longed  to  call  his  own  for  life. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SANDERSON  INTERVIEWS  Miss  GERARD 

Though  Kennington  was  confined  to  his  room  in 
the  hospital  because  of  his  bullet  wound  he  was  ex 
tremely  busy  preparing  for  the  trial  the  evidence  he 
had  secured  against  the  grafters.  With  a  joy  of 
battle  and  a  lust  for  conflict  filling  his  mind  he  out 
lined  carefully  worded  and  comprehensive  indict 
ments  that  would  not  leave  the  slightest  loopholes 
for  the  escape  of  those  who  were  to  fall  into  the  net 
that  he  was  setting  for  them.  He  did  not  intend 
that  justice  should  be  delayed;  that  the  penalties 
of  crime  should  be  averted  by  legal  technicalities; 
by  demurers,  alibies  and  appeals.  Unlike  his  con 
temporary,  David  Jacobs,  who  looked  upon  the  law 
as  a  bristling  hedge  behind  which  malefactors  might 
hide,  if  they  had  the  price  for  his  services,  Kennington 
regarded  the  law  as  an  instrument  for  justice  and 
civic  righteousness.  Some  of  his  legal  friends 
thought  him  too  dogmatic,  too  puritanical  in  his 
interpretation  of  civil  and  criminal  statutes.  But 
with  these  ideals  in  mind  he  had  inaugurated  his  bat 
tle  for  civic  reform. 

On  his  table,  had  one  been  permitted  to  peruse  the 
papers  which  lay  thereon,  were  to  be  found  charges 
of  bribery  against  the  chief  of  police,  two  captains, 
one  lieutenant,  and  even  Joseph  Gerard  himself. 
Kennington's  work  at  the  hospital  was  punctuated 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  155 

now  and  then  by  pleasant  visits  with  Jennie.  Each 
time  when  her  card  was  sent  up  he  busied  himself 
clearing  the  table  of  its  papers  and  documents  and 
making  hurried  preparations  to  receive  her.  These 
short  calls  were  so  keenly  enjoyed  by  him  that  one 
could  almost  truthfully  have  said  that  the  young 
barrister  would  be  a  trifle  sorry  when  he  should  leave 
the  hospital;  because  then  these  delightful  visits 
would  cease. 

At  Jennie's  home  conditions  were  not  so  pleasant. 
The  very  atmosphere  of  the  magnificent  residence 
seemed  to  be  pervaded  with  a  spirit  of  gloom  and 
foreboding.  Ever  since  the  night  that  Kennington 
was  shot,  Gerard  was  extremely  sullen,  morose  and 
non-communicative.  He  spoke  little  to  his  wife  and 
daughter  at  the  dining  table;  he  partook  of  his  food 
hastily  and  limited  his  conversation  to  shortest  pos 
sible  answers.  The  slightest  trifles  irritated  him  to 
a  marked  degree.  He  was  easily  vexed  and  extreme 
ly  nervous.  After  coming  home  from  the  office  in 
the  evening,  he  spent  most  of  his  time  before  the 
meal  in  the  library  writing.  But  whatever  he  wrote 
no  one  ever  knew;  for,  it  was  evident  from  his  man 
ner,  to  judge  that  which  he  had  written  displeased 
him;  and  after  each  effort  he  threw  the  papers  in 
the  grate  fire.  When  dinner  was  over,  each  night, 
he  went  to  his  room  at  once.  He  tried  to  read  the 
newspapers  and  magazines  but  these  would  soon  fall 
from  his  nervous,  trembling  hands  even  before  a 
page  was  half  read.  He  smoked  incessantly.  His 
look  was  haggard,  anxious  and  worried. 

Frequently  Jennie  would  inquire  solicitously  as  to 


156  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

his  welfare  and  sympathizingly  would  ask  if  she 
could  help  him ;  but,  much  to  his  daughter's  distress, 
this  display  of  filial  affection  was  usually  met  and 
repelled  in  a  rough,  rude  manner.  Jennie  wisely 
refrained  from  saying  anything  of  her  frequent  visits 
to  Kennington  at  the  hospital;  and  when  the  latter 
returned  to  his  work  in  the  city  attorney's  office, 
Gerard  came  home  at  an  unusually  early  hour.  He 
was  extremely  flustrated  and  seemed  to  be  in  a  great 
hurry.  He  told  his  family  that  business  interests  in 
the  East  suddenly  required  his  attention;  and  since 
he  had  not  been  feeling  well  for  some  time  he  had  de 
cided  to  combine  business  with  pleasure  and  to  take 
a  few  days'  rest  at  some  watering  place. 

The  next  day's  papers  announced  that  Mr.  Gerard 
had  suddenly  left  the  city  for  an  extended  trip.  To 
those  who  could  read  between  the  lines  it  could  be 
easily  seen  that  veiled  hints  and  insinuations  were 
contained  in  this  announcement  of  his  abrupt  de 
parture,  since  the  chief  of  police  and  several  of  his 
subordinates  had  been  indicted,  arrested  and  placed 
in  jail  without  the  privilege  of  bail  or  bond. 

Jennie  drove  her  father  to  the  station  on  the  morn 
ing  he  left  the  city  and,  as  he  kissed  her  good-bye, 
he  said;  "You'll  always  love  your  old  daddy,  won't 
you,  dear,  no  matter  what  happens?  "  and  before  she 
could  answer  he  quickly  mounted  the  steps  of  the 
Pullman,  leaving  her  standing  on  the  platform,  con 
fused,  depressed  and  with  tears  glistening  in  her 
eyes.  She  then  turned  and  walked  slowly  out  of  the 
depot  trying  to  conjure  the  meaning  of  this  strange 
and  most  unusual  remark  of  her  father's. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  157 

On  the  fourth  night  after  Gerard  had  gone  East 
Jennie  returned  from  the  theater,  where  she  had  been 
with  Kennington.  Her  father's  absence  from  home 
had  made  it  possible  for  her  to  accept  the  invitation 
to  spend  the  evening  in  Kennington's  company  at 
the  opera.  Kennington  was  secretly  glad  that  her 
father  had  left  the  city,  thus  sparing  him,  at  that 
time,  the  painful  duty  of  prosecuting  Jennie's  parent; 
for  he  had  never  once  wavered  in  bringing  the  bribe 
takers  to  justice;  and  Gerard  had  only  just  escaped 
the  serving  of  the  warrant  by  his  sudden  leave- 
taking. 

For  a  while  she  lingered  in  the  library,  gazing  into 
the  grate  fire,  fondly  recalling  the  happenings  of  the 
evening,  the  fascinating  conversations  carried  on  be 
tween  acts  and  the  little  covert  glances,  full  of  happi 
ness  of  an  unspoken  but  potent  love  during  the 
pathetically  appealing  parts  of  the  opera.  She  in 
dulged  in  dreams  of  tenderest  kind  till  aroused  by  the 
clock  striking  the  hour  of  midnight.  At  once  she 
departed  for  her  room  and  retired  for  the  night. 
Soon  she  was  encompassed  by  a  healthful  sleep. 
How  long  she  slept  she  did  not  know,  but  she  was  sud 
denly  startled  from  her  slumbers  by  a  stealthy  foot 
step  in  the  hall  adjoining  her  room.  She  listened 
intently;  some  one  seemed  to  be  approaching  her 
chamber.  She  was  thoroughly  frightened.  No  one 
was  at  home,  save  herself,  her  mother,  a  maid  and  a 
feeble  old  butler.  Breathlessly  and  with  feverish 
anxiety  she  waited  for  developments.  Quietly  she 
sat  up  in  bed  and,  just  as  she  did  so,  the  door  to  her 
room,  which  had  been  standing  ajar,  was  gently 


158  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

opened  and  a  man  stepped  in,  flashing  a  pocket 
searchlight  in  her  face. 

"  Be  quiet,  Miss!  "  he  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  I'll  not 
hurt  you.  I  know  it  is  rather  unconventional  to  call 
on  so  estimable  a  young  ^ady  as  you  are  at  this  hour 
of  the  night." 

Jennie  stared  at  the  intruder  with  a  surprise  that 
was  equal  to  her  fear.  In  the  mellow  moonlight, 
which  stole  through  the  half-raised  curtain  of  her 
window,  she  was  able  to  discern  that  the  visitor  was 
a  tall,  lithe  individual,  who  wore  a  domino.  Step 
ping  over  to  the  little  dressing  table  he  pulled  the 
beaded  chain  of  the  electric  candle;  he  then  closed 
the  door  blandly,  saying  as  he  did  so: 

"  Forgive  me,  for  calling  on  you  in  your  boudoir 
while  you  are  in  dishabille;  I  know  it  is  not  good 
taste,  but  we  sometimes  have  to  forego  the  little 
conventions  of  society  for  various  reasons." 

Jennie  was  much  frightened  at  this  display  of  au 
dacity  and  familiarity.  Heedless  of  her  distress  the 
man  continued:  "  No,  do  not  scream;  I  assure  you 
as  a  gentleman,  —  and  I  am  a  real  one,  too,  —  that 
I'll  not  harm  you." 

Jennie  felt  her  composure  returning;  for  this  was 
the  most  unheard-of  experience;  the  situation  was 
growing  actually  novel. 

"  I  have  already  examined  the  contents  of  the 
wall-safe  down  stairs,  inspected  the  bric-a-brac  and 
have  taken  an  inventory  of  everything  that  is  worth 
while.  You'll  pardon  me,  for  my  personal  reference 
to  your  virtues ;  while  I  know  that  you  are  not  a  vain 
young  lady,  I  do  know  that  you  possess  some  very 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  159 

exquisite  jewels.  I  am  both  a  connoisseur  and  a  col 
lector  of  these  baubles;  and  I  thought  that  I  might 
as  well  add  yours  to  my  collections.  You  wore  them 
when  you  attended  the  charity  ball.  I  had  a  de 
lightful  half  hour's  conversation  with  you  that 
evening." 

Miss  Gerard  was  stimulated  by  this  sarcastic  ad 
dress  and  the  thought  flashed  through  her  mind: 
'  This  is  the  so-called  reporter  who  attended  the 
charity  ball." 

"  So  YOU  are  the  gentleman  thief  who  robbed  Miss 
Darrell  of  her  pearls?  " 

With  a  cynical  smile  he  removed  the  domino  and 
bowing  to  her  he  said  sarcastically : 

"  I  am  discovered,  fair  lady!  " 

*  Yes,  it  is  a  wonder  that  a  man  of  your  talents 
and  ability  should  stoop  to  such  a  low,  mean  occupa 
tion  of  robbing  defenceless  women." 

"  Pardon  me,  that  is  not  my  occupation,  it  is  my 
profession,"  he  retorted. 

'*  Why  did  you  select  a  night  when  my  father  is 
away  from  home?  " 

"  Oh,  I  was  not  afraid  of  him;  but  of  course  I 
waited  for  Mr.  Gerard  to  leave,  as  I  did  not  care  to 
embarrass  him.  I  was  considerate  of  his  feelings." 

'*  What  do  you  mean?  "  she  spiritedly  answered. 

"  I  mean  it  is  very  well  that  your  father  did  leave, 
both  for  his  health  and  business;  and  I  really  believe 
that  some  more  of  us  will  depart  from  these  regions. 
Your  young  friend,  Mr.  Kennington,  with  whom  I 
saw  you  at  the  theater  tonight,  —  this  modern 
Knight  of  St.  George,  who  is  trying  to  slay  the  dragon 


160  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

of  vice,  —  is  doing  his  best  to  make  a  torrid  climate 
of  this  lake  region.  In  fact,  your  old  dad,  excuse  my 
familiarity,  found  it  getting  too  hot  for  him  and  for 
that  reason  he  left." 

Heated  with  indignation  which  made  her  forget 
the  situation  she  exclaimed:  "  How  dare  you  insult 
me  in  this  manner,  or  use  my  father's  name  that 
way?  " 

"  Don't  speak  so  loud,  Miss  Gerard,  lest  you  dis 
turb  the  rest  of  the  occupants  of  the  house  from  their 
peaceful  slumbers.  I  did  not  mean  to  insult  you.  I 
am  a  burglar,  an  honest  burglar,  a  gentleman,  too; 
but  your  father  is  a  thief,  only  he  goes  by  another 
name.  Oh,  yes,  he  is  a  church  vestryman,  a  stock 
broker,  a  former  member  of  the  legislature,  I  know; 
but  a  more  accomplished,  heartless  crook  never  lived." 

Jennie's  eyes  blazed  with  anger,  but  she  was  power 
less  to  reply. 

"  Forgive  me,  dear  Miss;  it  even  pains  me  to 
grieve  you  so,  but  every  reformer  loves  the  truth, 
even  though  it  may  be  brutal.  Prepare  yourself  for 
another  shock.  It  was  your  hypocritical  father  who 
hired  the  young  gunman  who  shot  Kennington.  I 
may  be  low  and  degraded  in  the  estimation  of  society, 
but  I  do  possess  at  least  a  little  spark  of  honor.  If  I 
wanted  to  rid  myself  of  some  obnoxious  enemy,  I'd 
do  it  myself  and  not  hide  behind  some  one  else. 
Furthermore,  are  you  aware  of  the  fact  that  your 
father  owns  the  very  tenement  houses  in  which  you 
carry  on  your  noble  settlement  work?  Also,  do  you 
know  that  the  '  Honorable  Joseph  Gerard  '  receives 
tributes  from  the  city's  Mary  Magdalenes?  " 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  161 

:<  Why,  this  is  simply  terrible;  how  can  you  say 
this?  How  can  it  be?  I  do  not  believe  you,  but — " 

"  No,  Miss,  I'm  going  to  do  the  talking  tonight, 
for  I  do  not  know  when  I  will  be  granted  the  oppor 
tunity  of  seeing  you  again.  Listen,  you  can't  help 
it  because  your  dad  is  an  old  rascal;  and,  if  you  do 
not  believe  me,  ask  Kennington;  he  knows  it  only  too 
well.  Don't  be  alarmed,  I  know  you  settlement 
workers  and  would-be  reformers  lay  great  stress  upon 
the  influence  of  heredity.  But,  let  me  tell  you,  you 
folks  misunderstand  this  great  force  of  nature.  Be 
cause  a  man's  a  criminal  does  not  mean  his  son  is 
going  to  become  a  criminal  also,  not  in  the  least. 
My  parents  are  in  no  way  responsible  for  my  crimes, 
so-called;  I  received  from  them  a  strong  vigorous 
body  and  an  active  mind.  I  chose  my  own  ways  of 
doing.  As  I  said  before,  your  dad  is  a  crook,  but  he 
possesses  a  healthy  body  and  strong  mind;  you  in 
herited  these  qualities,  no  doubt,  but  he  did  nor  pass 
on  his  acquired  characteristics.  States  of  mental 
enfeeblement  and  insanity  are  inherited  of  course, 
and  these  conditions  when  transmitted  from  the  par 
ent  to  the  offspring  make  the  progeny  susceptible  to 
the  viciousness  of  society.  In  other  words,  society 
is  busy  making  criminals  of  the  inferior  sort,  such  as 
petty  sneak  thieves,  pickpockets  like  Jere,  the  poor 
simple  fool  who  shot  Kennington.  Of  course  they 
do  not  belong  to  my  sort;  I  am  a  crime  capitalist. 
To  my  class  belong  bank  presidents  and  cashiers, 
life  insurance  presidents,  stock  brokers  and  food 
gamblers.  Heredity  favored  us  with  enough  brains 
to  think,  and  I  am  thankful  for  it. 


162  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  You  are  trying  to  do  a  splendid  work  in  the  set 
tlement;  let  me  tell  you  a  secret.  If  you  will  see 
that  the  poor  get  a  chance  to  secure  a  livelihood,  a 
few  rudiments  of  education  and  an  occasional  luxury, 
I  assure  you,  that  your  vigorous  efforts  will  be  far 
more  effective  for  the  amelioration  of  the  ills  of  life. 
But,  of  course,  before  you  can  do  that,  the  hypocrisy 
and  rascality  of  society  must  be  destroyed.  How 
ever,  I  did  not  mean  to  sermonize;  in  fact,  I  have  spent 
already  too  much  time  here.  Just  tell  me,  are  not 
your  jewels  in  that  box  there  on  the  little  table?  " 
And  so  saying  he  quickly  went  over  to  the  Louis 
Quinze  dressing  table  and  deliberately  helped  him- 
slef  to  the  gems;  briefly  examining  them  he  slipped 
them  into  his  inside  coat  pocket. 

"  No,  no,  do  not  sound  the  alarm,  for,  though  I 
promised  that  no  harm  should  befall  you,  it  might  be 
come  painfully  necessary  for  me  to  use  rude  methods, 
should  you  feel  inclined  to  create  a  scene." 

Though  she  was  losing  her  jewels,  she  was  glad  that 
she  was  escaping  without  any  physical  injury  or  vio 
lence.  She  shivered  in  an  agony  of  fear. 

"  Adieu,  Miss  Gerard!  I  wish  to  thank  you  for  the 
pleasant  interview  you  have  so  graciously  granted 
me  and,  believe  me,  its  memory  shall  linger  fondly  in 
my  mind  when  I  am  abroad  enjoying  the  delightful 
sunny  climate  of  Italy  and  southern  France.  The 
art  galleries  and  operas  are  calling  me;  also  the  fas 
cinating  games  of  "rouge  et  noir"  and  others  at  dear 
old  Monte  Carlo;  and,  in  parting,  let  me  remind  you 
again  that  the  Hon.  Joseph  Gerard  practices  the  pro 
fession  of  robbing  the  people,  only  in  a  more  sordid 
and  despicable  manner  than  I  ever  did." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  163 

With  a  courtly  bow  he  rapidly  strode  to  one  of  the 
French  windows  and  noiselessly  let  himself  out  into 
the  silent  night. 

After  Sanderson  had  gone  Jennie,  with  a  moan, 
sank  upon  her  pillows.  Thus  she  spent  the  remain 
der  of  the  night  in  utter  misery. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

NEMESIS 

The  prosecuting  attorney's  return  from  the  hos 
pital  to  his  office  caused  a  great  stir  in  the  city's 
official  circles;  and  a  keen  sense  of  uneasiness  per 
vaded  the  hearts  of  the  municipal  office  holders,  es- 
'  pecially  those  whose  performance  of  public  duties 
had  been  the  least  bit  suspicious.  Even  the  honest 
ones  shared  in  this  fear,  which  seemed  to  spread  as  a 
contagion.  The  larger  portion  of  the  public  was  de 
lighted;  Kennington  was  commended  at  the  private 
and  public  clubs,  the  city's  churches,  in  fact  every 
where.  His  name  was  on  every  one's  lips;  he  was 
truly  the  man  of  the  hour.  He  received  many  tele 
grams,  these  coming  from  various  points  throughout 
the  state.  Letters  of  congratulation  for  his  recov 
ery  poured  in  upon  him,  as  did  communications 
commending  his  good  work. 

The  Mayor's  office  was  the  scene  of  many  open 
and  secret  consultations  held  by  local  politicians 
who  felt  their  former  power  rapidly  waning.  The 
Mayor  had  kept  in  constant  communication  with 
Gerard,  and  every  little  detail  and  movement  had 
been  sent  to  the  latter.  Five  days  had  elapsed  since 
Gerard  left  the  city,  when  the  Mayor  sent  him  a  tele 
gram,  reading  as  follows:  "Extend  your  visit  in 
definitely  until  you  hear  from  me.  Kennington  is 
very  busy." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  165 

This  message  went  to  Palm  Beach,  Fla.,  instead 
of  New  York  City;  for  Gerard  had  deliberately  mis 
led  the  public  in  his  announcement  in  the  papers  that 
he  was  going  East.  A  second  admonition  to  remain 
where  he  was,  was  not  needed.  He  felt  safe  in  his 
present  location  and  he  did  not  care  to  return  home 
before  the  "  spasm  of  civic  righteousness/'  as  he 
called  it,  had  died  down. 

Several  of  the  plain  clothes  men  resigned,  as  did 
some  of  the  higher  police  officials;  for  they  thought 
it  better  to  give  up  a  fat  job  than  risk  the  dangerous 
chances  of  a  trial.  A  few  of  them  found  it  quite 
convenient  to  visit  relatives  living  in  distant  states. 
The  vacancies  caused  by  these  resignations  were 
filled  by  new  men;  and,  even  though  appointed  by 
tl^e  Mayor,  they  knew  they  dare  not  follow  the  path 
their  predecessors  had  trodden.  The  new  appointees 
were  called  into  Kennington's  private  office  and  a 
gospel  of  municipal  purity  left  their  ears  tingling  and 
burning,  as  it  vigorously  and  commandingly  came 
from  Kennington.  He  told  his  plain-clothes  men 
about  his  would-be  assassin;  that  he  was  a  young 
pick-pocket  by  the  name  Jere  Patton,  who  travelled 
in  company  with  an  old  man  having  a  long  prison 
record  and  who  was  now  supposed  to  be  reformed 
and  serving  as  a  janitor  at  a  Salvation  Army  Hall 
on  North  Jefferson  Street. 

After  this  description  was  given  they  were  in 
structed  to  discover  and  arrest  Jere  as  soon  as  possi 
ble.  If  this  command  had  been  issued  to  them  a 
year  before  they  would  have  laughed  it  to  scorn; 
but  now  they  were  only  too  glad,  willing  and  anxious 


166  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

to  serve  the  young  prosecuting  attorney  whose  power 
and  popularity  were  increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
No  countermanding  orders  now-a-days  came  from 
the  Mayor's  office.  His  rough  tactics  had  failed; 
sentiment  was  against  him,  and  his  present  actions 
were  being  governed  by  the  old  adage:  "  The  easiest 
way  is  the  best."  He  felt  chagrined  and  annoyed; 
his  egotism  and  pride  were  wounded,  and  he  was  sore 
that  a  young  man,  just  in  the  early  thirties,  should  be 
able  to  thwart  him,  dictate  and  even  command  him 
at  every  turn.  Discretion  was  the  best  of  his  valor 
and  he  meekly  submitted  to  the  new  order  of  af 
fairs,  hoping  thereby  to  escape  with  a  safe  and  whole 
skin  himself. 

When  Jere  had  recovered  from  the  debauch  in 
which  he  had  indulged  just  after  the  shooting  of  Ken- 
nington,  he  was  painfully  fearful  lest  he  had  given 
away  his  secret.  Toledo  Red  had  often  reminded 
him  that  he  talked  too  much  when  under  the  influ 
ence  of  liquor.  Fearing  that  he  had  done  so  in  this 
instance  he  took  some  of  his  money,  left  from  the 
dissipation,  and  bought  a  ticket  for  Denver.  There 
he  remained  for  about  ten  days,  living  in  a  riotous 
manner,  drinking  and  gambling.  Soon  his  money 
was  gone.  At  once  he  resorted  to  his  light-finger 
trade  and  on  a  Saturday  night  he  picked  the  pockets 
of  unwary  shoppers  at  the  public  market.  Being 
successful,  from  a  financial  point  of  view,  he  again 
filled  up  on  liquor;  and  while  in  state  of  alcoholic 
euphoria,  he  purchased  a  railroad  ticket  for  the 
"  City  of  the  Lake." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  167 

He  was  thorough1  y  sobered  when  he  reached  the 
metropolis,  but  his  nerves  were  unstrung,  his  hands 
trembled,  his  feet  seemed  heavy,  his  knees  were 
wobbly  and  a  feeling  of  lassitude  and  exhaustion 
permeated  his  whole  body.  He  was  less  annoyed  by 
the  fear  of  arrest  than  he  was  irresistibly  anxious  to 
get  a  vigorous  bracer.  He  went  immediately  to 
the  Salvation  Army  Hall  where  he  found  George 
who  was  very  much  pleased,  though  surprised  to 
see  him. 

*  What  you  doin'  back  here  now?"  he  demanded. 

*  You'se  don't  seem  glad  to  see  me." 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  all  right;  but  don't  you  think 
you're  running  a  chance?  O'Leary's  in  the  cooler 
with  some  more  o'  the  brass  buttons  and  they  can't 
gdt  out  on  bail  even.  The  new  guy  on  this  beat  ain't 
no  good;  you  can't  frame  up  nothin'  with  him.  Busi 
ness  is  on  the  bum.  This  town  will  soon  be  a  dead 
one;  and,  by  the  way,  they're  lookin'  for  you,  too." 
'  Who  squealed?  O'Leary?  " 

"  No,  you  bet  he  didn't;  that  fellow's  on  the 
square.  Some  of  the  guys  said  May  Carleton 
peached,  but  I  don't  believe  it;  she's  always  been  on 
the  level,  too." 

'*  Well,  let's  don't  waste  time  talking;  let's  go  to 
Dinty's;  I'm  all  in." 

"  It  would  be  safer  for  you  to  duck  right  away." 

"  It  may  be;  but  I  got  to  have  a  drink  and  a  stiff 
one,  too!  " 

:<  Well,  if  you'se  goin'  to  run  chances,  you  might 
as  well  come  on;  get  what  you  want,  but  take  an  old 
man's  advice,  and  after  that  dig  out  at  once." 


168  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Toledo  Red  was  anxious  for  Jere  to  escape  arrest 
for  two  reasons:  He  did  not  want  to  see  his  young 
friend  go  to  prison,  because  he  really  liked  Jere,  and 
they  were  good  friends;  then  again,  the  boy  had  been 
a  successful  thief,  and  had  shared  his  earnings  with 
George  with  a  free  hand.  Thus,  arrest  for  Jere 
meant  disaster  for  both  of  them.  The  next  half  hour 
was  spent  in  drinking  and  eating.  Jere's  palsied 
nerves  seemed  to  demand  an  unduly  large  amount  of 
spirituous  liquors,  and  in  a  short  while  both  men  were 
in  a  mild  state  of  intoxication.  Jere's  thought  pro 
cesses  became  entangled  and  distorted.  The  little 
reasoning  power  with  which  nature  had  endowed 
him,  fled.  While  thus  stupified,  and  totally  oblivious 
of  impending  danger,  the  new  officer  of  the  district 
stepped  into  the  saloon  and  perceiving  Jere  he  at 
once  placed  him  under  arrest.  Whereupon  George, 
in  his  half  drunken  manner,  arraigned  the  police 
man:  "  Oh,  that's  the  reason  why  you'se  been  comin' 
in  the  Salvation  Hall  lately  askin'  me  all  kinds  o' 
questions  about  me  work  an'  if  I  did  it  alone  now, 
an'  where  me  young  pal  had  gone  to?  "  To  which, 
however,  the  officer  made  no  reply;  but  after  tightly 
securing  Jere  with  a  twist-chain  around  the  wrist, 
he  led  him  out  of  the  place  to  the  nearest  patrol  box. 
there  to  call  for  and  await  the  wagon  from  Central 
Station  to  take  his  captive  to  headquarters.  Though 
drunk,  Jere  became  frightened  and  whiningly  begged 
the  officer: 

"  I'll  fix  it  all  right  with  you,  if  you  let  me  slip 
away  this  time;  besides  I  ain't  the  feller  you'se 
lookin'  fer."  The  answer  to  this  pleading  was  la 
conic:  —  "  You  tell  that  to  the  Judge." 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  169 

The  next  morning  about  eight  o'clock  Jere  was 
taken  to  the  prosecutor's  office  by  two  plain  clothes 
men.  He  had  a  bursting  headache;  the  dissipation 
of  the  evening  before  left  him  feeling  extremely  mis 
erable  both  in  mind  and  body,  and  the  ever-increas 
ing  fear  which  further  benumbed  his  liquor-poisoned 
brain  rendered  him  an  easy  and  helpless  subject  for 
the  inquisition  he  was  about  to  undergo.  Kenning- 
ton  addressed  the  officers  with  a  friendly  "  Good 
morning,  gentlemen!  "  then  looking  intently  at  Jere 
for  a  few  seconds,  which  seemed  like  an  eternity  to 
the  forlorn  culprit,  he  asked,  "  What  is  your  name? 
What  are  you  here  for?  " 

Jere  was  unable  to  answer;  and  he  withered  Ke- 
neath  Kennington's  look  of  scrutiny,  casting  his 
eyes  upon  the  floor  and  remaining  silent. 

"  Since  you  cannot  reply,  I'll  do  it  for  you,"  the 
attorney  resumed. 

"  You  are  charged  with  shooting  a  man,  three 
weeks  ago."  Jere  paled  but  made  no  answer. 

"  Fortunately  the  individual  recovered,  and  lucky 
for  you;  for,  had  he  died  you  would  have  been 
charged  with  murder;  as  it  is  you  are  indicted  for 
assault  and  battery  with  intent  to  kill." 

"  It  ain't  so;  they  can't  prove  it." 

'  Yes,  it  is  so;  I  am  the  man  you  shot.  How 
much  money  did  they  pay  you  for  this  brave 
act." 

At  this  statement  Jere  was  on  the  verge  of  col 
lapse;  and,  had  he  not  been  standing  between  the 
two  officers,  he  would  have  fallen  to  the  floor;  as  it 
was,  they  assisted  and  led  him  to  a  chair  directly  op- 


170  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

posite  Kennington,  who  never  took  his  eyes  off  the 
young  man,  but  continued,  saying: 

"  Just  make  a  clean  breast  of  it  and  do  yourself  a 
favor,  my  young  fellow.  You  did  the  shooting,  of 
course;  you  were  not  mad  at  me  especially  and, 
therefore,  did  it  for  no  personal  reason.  You  were 
hired  to  do  it.  The  fellows  who  employed  you  are 
more  guilty  than  you  are.  You  were  only  a  tool  in 
their  hands." 

Jere  breathed  rapidly;  his  face  alternately  paled 
and  reddened  and  large  drops  of  perspiration  stood 
out  on  his  forehead;  nervously  he  drummed  with  his 
fingers  on  the  arm  of  the  chair;  but  he  made  no 
reply;  because  he  was  so  frightened  and  overwhelmed 
by  the  fact  that  his  guilt  had  been  discovered.  Ken 
nington  then  opened  a  drawer  in  his  desk  and  took 
out  a  photograph  of  a  man  in  the  uniform,  worn  by 
the  lieutenant  of  the  police,  and  pointing  his  index 
finger  at  the  picture  he  held  it  before  Jere's  face  and 
asked:  "Do  you  know  this  man?  Have  you  ever 
seen  him  before?  How  much  did  he  pay  you  to 
shoot  me?  " 

A  huge  lump  arose  in  Jere's  throat  and  he  seemed 
to  almost  choke;  an  oppressive  sense  of  guilt  and  ter 
rible  fear  engulfed  him;  and  as  he  sat  there,  shaking 
in  every  limb,  the  thought  slowly  passed  through  his 
leaden-like  brain:  "  Here  is  the  man  I  tried  to  mur 
der.  I  am  found  out,  and  I  can  do  nothing  now  but 
to  ask  for  mercy." 

Falteringly  he  answered :  "  Yes,  O'Leary  prom 
ised  me  five  hundred  dollars  to  shoot  you;  but  he  has 
paid  only  half  of  it  so  far;  "  then  bursting  out  into  a 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  171 

flood  of  tears,  he  added:  "  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  hadn't 
done  it;  I  don't  want  to  go  to  prison;  please,  don't 
send  me  there;  I'll  be  good  if  you  will  give  me  an 
other  chance!" 

Jere's  confession  had  quickly  been  taken  down 
by  the  prosecutor's  secretary,  who  handed  the  paper 
to  Kennington,  and  the  latter  placed  it  before  Jere  to 
subscribe  his  name. 

"  Come  on,  sign  this;  it's  of  no  use  to  put  the  state 
to  the  expense  of  a  jury  trial  when  you  admit  your 
guilt,  as  you  have  done  just  now." 

The  young  would-be  gunman  affixed  his  name  in  a 
big  scrawly,  illiterate  hand.  Jere  was  taken  back  to 
jail  to  await  sentence  of  the  court  at  a  future  date. 
Before  leaving  the  prosecutor's  office  he  pleaded  not 
to  be  put  in  the  same  department  of  the  city's  bas 
tille  in  which  O'Leary  was  being  detained,  "  for," 
he  fearfully  explained,  "  O'Leary  might  think  that  I 
squealed  on  him;  but  I  did  not,  you  folks  had  the 
goods  on  me,  so  what  could  I  say?  He's  more  guilty 
than  I  am,  anyhow." 

Kennington  bade  the  officers  do  as  their  prisoner 
requested;  and,  with  a  freer  heart,  Jere  left  the  office, 
willing  to  trust  his  future  lot  with  the  law  rather  than 
with  his  erstwhile  employer.  Jere  was  a  creature  of 
selfish  instincts  only;  and,  though  in  the  clutch  of 
the  law,  he  was  ready  to  grasp  at  any  thing  that  might 
be  to  his  benefit. 

When  the  door  closed  behind  his  would-be  assas 
sin,  Kennington  turned  to  his  desk  and  on  a  small 
tablet  marked  down  the  figure  one,  and  semi-audibly 
said  to  himself:  "  Well,  this  is  case  number  one  of 
which  Nemesis  has  disposed;  who  is  next?  " 


172  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

Stepping  into  the  corridor  of  the  court-house  to 
go  to  the  Circuit  Court  room  he  was  shocked  to  hear 
an  enterprising  young  newsboy  yell  as  he  ran  through 
the  hall:  "Poiper!  Poiper!  All  about  Joe  Gerard's 
Drownin'!" 

Kennington  bought  a  paper,  giving  the  lad  a  dime 
and|. telling  him  to  keep  the  change.  The  young 
Israelitic  vendor  spat  on  the  coin  and  put  it  in  his 
pocket,  this  peculiar  and  unclean  ceremony  being 
performed  for  the  sake  of  "  good  luck  "  to  bring 
further  monetary  blessings.  With  an  indescribable 
feeling  of  horror,  mingled  with  sorrow,  and  yet  one 
bordering  on  relief,  Kennington  read  the  brief  ac 
count  as  follows:  "  Telegraphic  information  has  been 
received  that  the  Hon.  Joseph  Gerard  of  this  city 
was  accidentally  drowned  while  bathing  at  Palm 
Beach.  Particulars  later.  He  was  one  of  the  best- 
known  politicians  of  the  city  and  the  state." 

Involuntarily  the  words,  "  Number  two,"  fell 
from  Kennington's  lips.  He  hastened  at  once  to  the 
next  telephone  booth  and  called  up  Miss  Gerard  to 
offer  her  his  heart-felt  sympathies.  It  was  quite  a 
while  before  he  could  reach  her  over  the  wire;  in  a 
tearful  voice  she  responded  to  his  inquiries.  In  a 
few  well-chosen  words  he  offered  his  condolence  and 
also  voiced  a  willingness  and  a  desire  to  assist  her  and 
her  mother  during  the  ensuing  days.  For  all  of 
which  Jennie  thanked  him  in  a  quiet  manner;  yet 
her  heart  was  relieved  with  the  knowledge  that  even 
amid  her  poignant  grief  Kennington  should  so  gra 
ciously  offer  aid  and  speak  so  kindly  of  her  father's 
demise,  knowing  him  as  he  really  had  been. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  173 

Gerard's  death  was  doubly  hard  for  Jennie  to  bear. 
His  tragic  end  disclosed  conclusively  the  duality  of 
her  father's  character.  It  fell  to  her  lot  the  day  after 
the  funeral  to  survey  the  deceased  parent's  belong 
ings,  for  her  mother  was  absolutely  helpless  in  her 
self-centered  sorrow.  While  performing  this  last, 
sad  task  the  poor  grief -stricken  girl  found  the  tele 
gram,  which  the  Mayor  had  sent  her  father,  warning 
him  not  to  return  to  the  city  of  X until  he  re 
ceived  directions  to  do  so.  Bitter,  briny  tears  fell 
upon  this  incriminating  little  slip  of  yellow  paper 
and  she  mused  to  herself  sadly:  "  That  thief  Sander 
son  was  right  after  all,  though  I  doubted  him.  I  am 
glad  that  I  did  not  ask  Mr.  Kennington.  How 
brutal  the  truth  is  sometimes,  especially  to  me  in 
this  trying  hour!  "  And  she  said  half  aloud,  "  Oh, 
Arthur,  how  good  you  are!  How  can  I  face  you 
after  this  disclosure?  " 

Jere  waited  eight  days  ere  he  made  his  appear 
ance  before  the  Judge;  and,  during  this  interim  he 
was  visited  several  times  by  his  pal,  Toledo  Red. 
At  one  of  these  visits  this  old  reprobate  endeavored 
to  slip  Jere,  when  the  jailor's  back  was  turned,  some 
small  steel  saws  and  files  wherewith  he  might  find  his 
way  to  liberty.  But  the  best  laid  plans  ofttimes  go 
awry;  and  they  did  in  this  case.  A  little  while  later 
when  George  was  about  to  leave  he  felt  a  heavy  hand 
upon  his  shoulder  and  heard  a  gruff  voice  inviting 
him  to  stay  a  while  and  partake  of  the  bounty  of 
the  city's  free  lodging  house;  and,  turning  around, 
he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the  deputy  sheriff. 


174  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  Now,  what's  the  matter?  "  George  insolently 
asked. 

"  Matter  enough,"  the  officer  of  the  law  sarcasti 
cally  replied:  "  I  thought  you'd  quit  the  game,  but 
I  guess,  '  once  a  crook  always  a  crook.'  You  can 
explain  about  those  saws  and  files  tomorrow  morning 
in  the  Court.  Aiding  and  abetting  a  prisoner  to  es 
cape  is  a  serious  charge;  and,  as  an  *  old  bird,'  you 
ought  to  know  that." 

Forthwith  the  old  rascal  was  put  under  lock  and 
key.  Again  Nemesis  had  overtaken  another  of 
fender,  for  fate  had  decreed  that  George  and  Jere 
should  be  sentenced  in  court  on  the  same  day.  The 
next  morning,  as  the  clock  struck  the  hour  of  nine, 
the  court  bailiff  sharply  rapped  the  gavel  on  his 
desk  and  called  the  room  to  order.  The  entire  audi 
ence  arose,  while  the  venerable  Judge  Maxon  stepped 
to  his  chair.  When  the  ceremony  of  opening  the 
court  was  finished  an  ominous  silence  prevailed 
throughout  the  room;  then  in  a  deep,  low  voice  the 
Judge  asked  the  prosecuting  attorney  to  proceed 
with  the  first  case  on  the  docket. 

The  Judge  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  and  a 
jurist  who  had  once  believed  in  that  penal  philosophy 
which  demanded  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth.  He  was  always  calm  and  dignified;  but  on 
this  morning  he  appeared  more  sober  and  austere 
than  usual.  He  seemed  to  be  the  embodiment  of  an 
unapproachable  dignity,  the  personification  of  an 
abstract  pitiless  justice.  His  looks  belied  his  inner 
feelings,  however.  The  advance  of  years  had  soft 
ened  his  heart;  there  was  a  quality  of  pity  that  tern- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  175 

pered  his  justice  with  mercy  and  was  only  restrained 
by  the  legal  statutes  that  bound  him. 

This  morning  his  countenance  appeared  sterner 
than  usual.  His  snow-white  hair,  as  it  graced  the 
pale  skin  of  his  temples,  which  were  blue-penciled  by 
tortuous  veins  that  lay  beneath,  added  to  the  pal 
lor  of  his  cheeks.  They  were  furrowed  with  deep 
wrinkles,  not  engraved  by  the  hand  of  time  alone, 
but  by  significant  and  unusual  experiences  of  life. 
Heavy  lines  crossed  his  forehead;  his  eyes,  as  they 
occasionally  peered  over  the  rims  of  his  glasses  into 
space,  seemed  to  look  down  a  vista  of  years  which 
held  for  him  a  burden  not  lightened  by  the  flight  of 
time. 

A  feeling  akin  to  pity  arose  in  Kennington's  heart 
as  he  scrutinized  the  bent  old  gentleman  whose  name 
was  linked  with  all  the  leading  organizations  of  the 
state  that  worked  for  society's  reform  and  better 
ment.  This  judge  was  the  President  of  the  State 
Bar  Association.  There  was  no  enterprise  worth 
mentioning  bent  upon  humanity's  uplift  in  which  he 
was  not  interested.  And  as  the  prosecutor  surveyed 
His  Honor  more  closely  than  he  had  ever  done  before, 
he  could  not  help  but  wonder  why  this  worried,  de 
pressed  look,  which  expressed  a  dread  of  some  haunt 
ing  spectre  invisible  to  all  eyes  save  those  of  the 
Judge  alone.  He  quieted  his  inquisitive  mind  with 
the  thought  that  perhaps  the  daily  contact  with  life's 
derelicts,  the  ever-present  spectacle  of  crime  and 
passion,  had  left  its  impress  upon  his  countenance. 
Kennington  thought  of  these  things  as  he  stated  the 
facts  in  Jere's  case  to  Judge  Maxon.  This  youth 


176  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

had  confessed  to  assault  and  battery  with  intent  to 
kill;  and  even  though  the  young  gunman  had  made 
the  assault  upon  the  prosecutor  himself  the  latter  did 
not  display  any  spirit  of  vindictiveness  or  retaliation, 
but  simply  laid  a  signed  confession  before  the  Judge, 
who  carefully  read  it  over,  then  summoned  Jere  to 
rise  and  stand  before  him. 

From  his  chair  behind  the  dull-toned  oak  desk 
Judge  Maxon  looked  intently  at  Jere,  an  apology  of 
manhood.  Limply  the  defendant  was  partly  stand 
ing,  partly  leaning  against  the  railing  in  front  of  the 
the  platform  where  the  Judge  was  seated.  As  Jere 
was  there  in  plain  view  of  all  he  presented  a  pitiful 
aspect;  poorly  nourished,  hollow  chested,  with  a 
low  forehead,  sunken  cheeks  colored  with  a  hectic 
flush;  the  evidences  of  disease  and  dissipation  were 
plainly  apparent.  He  was  truly  an  object  of  abject 
misery  and  terror,  barely  able  to  pronounce  his  own 
name.  The  only  thing  that  saved  his  face  from 
being  indescribable  was  his  aquiline  nose,  a  solitary 
heirloom  of  the  strain  of  some  superior  blood  of  his 
ancestry.  Even  to  the  Judge's  unscientific  eye, 
that  is  from  a  medical  point  of  view,  were  noticeable 
the  stigmata  of  degeneracy  in  this  young  offender  of 
the  law.  After  having  taken  a  mental  invoice,  so  to 
say,  of  this  animated  lump  of  clay,  bearing  the  mis 
nomer  of  man,  the  Judge  asked: 

:<  Where  are  your  parents?  " 

To  this  Jere  replied  that  he  knew  little  of  them. 
A  look  of  pain  passed  over  the  Judge's  face;  and,  after 
a  moment's  pause,  he  began: 

"  Is  there  any  reason  why  sentence  should  not  be 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  177 

pronounced  upon  you?  "  The  reply  being  negative, 
he  continued  in  a  voice  which  seemed  to  Kennington 
as  if  coming  from  the  remote  past: 

"  Jere  Patton,  I  sentence  you  to  the  State's  Prison 
for  a  period  of  two  to  twenty-one  years  at  hard 
labor." 

Having  made  the  entry  in  his  book,  the  Judge  re 
sumed  speaking  to  the  youth,  still  standing  before 
him: 

"  It  grieves  me  very  much  to  send  a  young  man  of 
your  age  to  prison;  but  the  law  must  be  upheld; 
and,  for  the  good  of  society,  you  must  be  removed 
from  its  midst  until  you  have  proven  that  you  are  a 
fit  subject  to  live  among  men  again.  That  is  all, 
Mr.  Prosecutor;  next  case,  please."  { 

Jere  was  led  away  and  a  florid,  burly  policeman 
brought  George  to  the  front.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
indictment  was  read,  to  which  the  sinner  plead  guilty 
as  indifferently  as  if  he  had  been  asked  the  time  of 
the  day.  Without  further  loss  of  time,  hardly  giv 
ing  more  than  a  passing  look,  the  Court  sentenced 
Toledo  Red  to  the  same  number  of  years  that  had 
been  received  by  his  young  pal.  Whether  it  was 
irony,  or  the  imbecility  of  senility,  who  knows? 
George  said: 

'  Thank  ye,  yer  Honor!  Gimme  seventy  years  if 
you  like;  it's  all  the  same  to  me!  "  and,  shamblingly, 
he  followed  the  officer  back  to  the  jail,  pending  his 
transfer  to  the  "  big  house,"  as  he  called  the  State 
Prison. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

JERE'S  IDENTITY  REVEALED 

Contrary  to  the  usual  order  of  legal  events,  the 
wheels  of  justice  moved  very  quickly  during  the  week 
in  which  George  and  Jere  were  sentenced  to  prison. 
The  deposed  Lieutenant  O'Leary  and  four  other 
police-officers,  seeing  that  they  had  been  caught  red- 
handed,  so  to  say,  in  their  civic  wickedness,  con 
cluded  that  it  was  safer  and  the  part  of  wisdom  to 
plead  guilty  to  the  indictments  which  had  been 
brought  against  them,  rather  than  stand  trial,  lest 
they  thereby  involve  their  brother  officers,  and  pos 
sibly  the  Mayor  himself.  They  did  possess  a  certain 
amount  of  knavish  loyalty,  which  is  said  to  be  the 
characteristic  of  the  "  Subterranean  Brotherhood." 
By  casting  themselves  on  the  mercy  of  the  court  they 
expected  to  receive  lighter  sentences.  Their  fam 
ilies  were  not  to  suffer  for  lack  of  temporal  necessities 
because  of  the  imprisonment  and  disgrace  of  these 
convicted  officers;  for  each  one  of  the  men  had  man 
aged  to  make  deposits  in  more  than  one  bank  which 
more  than  trebled  their  yearly  salaries.  They  had 
prepared  for  a  rainy  day,  and  now  it  had  come. 

When  they  appeared  before  Judge  Maxon  to  enter 
their  pleas  of  guilty,  he  denounced  their  breach  of 
trust  and  gave  them  the  limit  of  the  law,  expressing 
his  regret  that  the  penalty  provided  for  such  offenses 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  179 

was  not  more  severe.  A  few  days  later  all  these 
men,  George  and  Jere  included,  were  manacled  to 
gether  and,  in  company  of  four  stalwart  deputies, 
taken  to  the  State  Prison.  A  bitter  look  of  malice 
shot  out  of  O'Leary's  eyes  when  Jere  cautiously 
glanced  toward  him,  and  the  young  fellow  felt  easier 
in  thinking  that  he  was  quite  safely  removed  from  the 
ex-official;  he  hoped  that  in  prison  this  respectable 
distance  would  still  be  maintained.  Jere  knew  that 
his  confession  had  clinched  the  evidence  that  had 
been  brought  to  bear  against  O'Leary.  He  also 
knew  that  a  man  of  the  lieutenant's  type  would  not 
hesitate  to  use  any  means  that  might  come  to  his 
hands  for  revenge.  For  once  in  his  life  the  young 
pickpocket  felt  that  the  officers  of  the  law  were  really 
his  friends,  and  he  kept  very  close  to  his  legal  escort. 

George  sat  in  his  seat  with  an  apparent  indiffer 
ence  and  enjoyed  the  "  stogie  "  which  he  had  asked 
one  of  the  deputies  to  give  him. 

"  Reckon  it  will  be  the  last  decent  tobacco  I'll  get 
fer  a  while,"  he  flippantly  remarked,  as  he  contented 
ly  puffed  azure-gray  rings  of  smoke  against  the  pane 
of  the  car  window. 

:<  This  ain't  half  bad,  Kid!  A  nice  ride  down  the 
line  and  four  gents  lookin'  after  us !  Enjoy  the  scen 
ery,  Kid,  as  we  go  along!  " 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't  come  back  to  the  city,"  Jere 
moaned  in  reply;  "  I'd  rather  ride  the  bumpers  free 
and  easy  than  be  hooked  upon  the  cushions  like 
this." 

"  Oh,  cut  out  your  cryin',  Kid;  you'll  have  plenty 
of  time  to  think  it  over;  go  to  it  like  a  man!  " 


180  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

The  young  convict  vainly  tried  to  assume  an  air 
of  cheerfulness  and  vigorously  bit  his  lips  in  his  ef 
forts  to  keep  back  the  tears,  which  more  than  once 
had  threatened  to  appear  in  a  briny  deluge.  His 
heart  sank  within  him  when  the  great,  gray,  gloomy 
walls  of  the  State  Penitentiary  loomed  up  in  his  sight; 
and  he  wondered  what  could  be  behind  them.  What 
did  fate  hold  in  store  for  him? 

George,  with  a  veritable  sort  of  gallows  humor,  re 
marked:  "  Here  she  is,  boys,  the  old  '  stir  '*;  hasn't 
stirred  a  bit  from  her  old  place!  "  and  he  laughed 
alone  at  his  own  foolish  pun.  To  him  the  institu 
tion  was  a  place  of  refuge;  there  he  would  meet 
friends  of  his  own  feather;  he  knew  it  would  furnish 
him  with  the  necessities  of  life,  at  least,  and  all  his 
wants  would  be  supplied,  except  his  daily  drink  of 
liquor.  How  he  would  miss  Dinty's  saloon  with  its 
musty  smell  and  free  lunch,  and  its  mute  bar-keeper! 
Widely  different  were  Jere's  thoughts.  In  his  child 
ish  imagination,  the  prison  they  were  approaching 
was  to  him  a  place  of  terror  indescribable,  where  si 
lent  horrors  were  enacted.  The  tales  of  brutalities 
and  punishments  of  prison  life,  which  had  been  jok 
ingly  told  him  by  ex-prisoners,  were  vividly  recalled 
to  his  mind.  As  he  passed  through  the  large  iron 
gateway,  where  a  tall  handsome  turnkey  was  the 
jealous  monarch  of  all  he  surveyed,  and,  like  a  Cer 
berus,  was  closely  watching  all  that  passed  in  and 
out,  Jere's  teeth  fairly  chattered.  He  was  aroused 
from  his  fearful  cogitations  by  the  gruff  voice  of 
Captain  Burns,  saying: 

*  Slang  for  prison. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  181 

"  Back  again,  George?  This  is  the  fifth  time  for 
you." 

"  Well,  it  ain't  bad,  Cap;  not  so  bad  at  that.  Me 
health  is  failin'  an'  times  is  hard;  I  hopes  the  doctor 
gives  me  a  good  place  in  the  old  folks'  ward  wid  de 
'  Sons  o'  Rest.'  I'll  make  as  good  a  s  Senator  '  as 
any  of  them.  De  place  owes  me  a  pension.  Can't 
do  much  work  anyhow.  Say,  Cap,  will  you  put  in 
a  good  word  fer  me  wid  de  croaker*?  "  To  which 
the  receiving  officer  merely  grunted  in  reply.  Jere 
wonderingly  listened  to  all  this  conversation  carried 
on  in  such  a  familiar  vein  with  the  Captain,  whose 
actions  did  not  seem  so  surly,  rough  and  awe-inspir 
ing  as  did  his  thick,  gruff  voice  and  his  impassive 
face.  Yet  the  youth's  dire  apprehensions  were  not 
allayed.  After  the  clerk  had  disposed  of  the  newly 
arrived  men,  entering  their  names  in  the  big  book 
and  giving  them  their  respective  numbers  by  which 
they  were  to  be  known  from  then  on,  they  were  taken 
to  the  bath-house.  George,  who  had  gone  through 
this  routine  ceremony  of  entrance  many  times  before, 
at  once  began  to  disrobe  and  prepare  for  the  bath, 
while  Jere  looked  around  for  a  private  place  to  dis 
card  his  garments. 

"Hurry  up,  young  fellow;  what  are  you  waiting 
on?  "  Captain  Burns  growled  at  him.  Tremblingly 
the  young  convict  undressed;  and,  having  done  so  he 
was  told  by  an  attending,  lynx-eyed  prisoner,  to 
"  Get  under  the  shower!  "  When  bathed  he  was  be 
smeared  with  a  greasy,  bluish-looking  ointment, 
whose  antiseptic  qualities  made  it  extremely  valuable 

*  Slang  for  doctor. 


182  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

in  this  place  where  men  were  received  in  all  condi 
tions  of  bodily  uncleanliness.  This  part  of  initiation 
finished,  the  prison  clothes  were  donned. 

'  What  a  difference,"  Jere  thought,  "  between  this 
suit  and  my  own;  "  and  when  he  endeavored  to  take 
some  articles  out  of  his  citizen's  clothes,  again  the 
captain's  voice  grated  on  his  ears;  "  Leave  those 
alone;  you're  not  allowed  anything,  except  a  hand 
kerchief  and  toothbrush;  you  can  have  these  two 
articles,  if  you  own  as  much." 

By  the  time  the  young  prisoner  was  fully  ready  to 
enter  the  doctor's  office,  where  he  was  taken  next, 
George  emanated  therefrom  with  a  happy  smile  on  his 
face.  For  the  prison  physician  had  assigned  him  to 
the  convalescent  ward.  This  was  an  easy  berth  in 
prison.  It  freed  him  from  labor  in  the  shops  and  in 
the  yard,  where  discipline  was  rigid;  and  there  he 
was  given  the  unusual  liberties  to  play  games  all  day 
with  a  lot  of  old  derelicts  who  were  beyond  physical 
repair.  These  men,  his  future  companions,  were 
without  ambition  and  hope;  here  they  found  contin 
ual  rest  and  calm;  this  was  a  veritable  haven  of 
safety  to  them,  even  though  it  was  called  prison. 

Jere  was  ushered  into  the  prison  physician's  office 
by  the  hospital  orderly,  a  prisoner  who  had  been  as 
signed  to  do  this  duty.  The  office  was  furnished 
with  two  desks,  the  roll-top  one  belonging  to  the 
doctor;  and  the  other,  a  small  typewriting  desk, 
seated  at  which  was  the  doctor's  stenographer,  who 
was  busy  at  his  typewriter,  his  fingers  flying  rapidly 
over  the  keys  of  the  machine.  In  one  corner  stood 
a  bookcase  full  of  books  which  bore  the  names  of 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  183 

medical  and  psychological  subjects.  In  the  other 
corner  was  a  long  shelf  filled  with  rows  of  immense 
volumes,  which  contained  the  written  records  of  the 
long  mental  and  physical  examinations,  also  the 
biographical  histories  of  prisoners  received  at  the 
institution.  Under  a  glass  case  were  a  number  of 
delicate  instruments  for  testing  the  nervous  system 
of  the  prison  inmates  and  for  measuring  their  mental 
reactions  and  emotions. 

In  a  short  while  the  prison  physician  entered  the 
office.  He  was  clad  in  a  spotless  white  linen  suit. 
He  took  his  chair  at  the  desk  and  quickly  perused  the 
commitment  papers  in  Jere's  case;  first  directing 
the  youth  to  take  a  seat  in  a  chair  just  in  front  of  the 
desk.  Jere's  fear  had  now  begun  to  subside  some 
what.  The  prison  official  treated  him  kindly  and 
addressed  his  many  questions  to  the  new  convict  in 
a  frank,  friendly  manner.  He  commenced  his  inter 
rogation  by  asking  the  prisoner  what  he  knew  about 
his  parents  and  their  antecedents.  And  when  Jere 
replied  that  he  knew  but  very  little  of  his  father 
and  mother,  and  nothing  at  all  about  his  grand 
parents,  the  doctor  turned  to  his  assistant  and  said: 

"  Make  a  note  of  this  and  I  will  see  if  we  cannot 
discover  the  history  of  this  man's  relatives  in  the 
State's  vital  statistics,  or  in  the  records  of  some  of 
our  other  state  institutions." 

This  interview  was  then  followed  by  a  detailed, 
comprehensive  examination.  Jere  was  found  to  be 
poorly  nourished,  a  rachitic  specimen;  his  heart 
beats  were  irregular  and  too  rapid;  he  was  hollow 
chested  and  hectic  flushes  burned  on  his  cheeks;  the 


184  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

earmarks  of  inherited  physical  degeneracy  were 
present  everywhere  upon  his  body.  The  mental 
survey  then  followed.  Jere's  intelligence  and  emo 
tions  were  subjected  to  the  latest  tests  of  psychologi 
cal  science.  His  chronological  age  was  twenty-one 
years;  he  was  possessed  of  the  animal  passions  and 
desires  of  an  adult  man,  and  yet  his  mentality  equaled 
only  that  of  a  child.  It  was  plainly  evident  to  the 
examining  physician  that  nature  and  disease  had  not 
permitted  the  full  development  of  his  mentality;  and 
these  fateful  forces  of  life  had  placed  him  in  a  state 
of  childhood  that  was  to  be  perpetual  and  unhappy. 
Jere's  trial  had  occupied  twenty  minutes  in  the 
Court  of  Justice,  but  no  further  time  had  been  re 
quired  to  establish  the  fact  that  he  had  committed 
the  crime  with  which  he  was  charged.  The  honor 
and  dignity  of  the  state  and  the  law  had  been  pre 
served.  He  was  a  depraved  wretch;  and,  under 
the  chaperonage  of  the  country  sheriff,  he  had  been 
hustled  off  to  prison,  wearing  the  steel  bracelets 
which  society  had  designed  for  those  who  violate  her 
laws  and  customs.  In  the  prison  Laboratory  of 
Science  Jere  was  examined  for  more  than  three  hours; 
his  bodily  functions  had  been  tested;  his  nervous 
system  investigated,  his  mentality  measured.  His 
blood  had  been  examined  by  the  methods  known  to 
biological  chemistry,  and  by  the  secret-discovering 
microscope.  His  blood  was  found  to  be  teeming 
with  the  toxemia  of  the  wriggling,  wiggling,  twisting 
spirilli  of  the  social  plague,  a  disease  which  had  been 
the  evil  gift  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  progenitors. 
In  the  Court  of  Science  an  appeal  had  been  made. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  185 

He  was  found  guilty  of  a  criminal  act,  but  —  insane 
and  irresponsible. 

Turning  to  his  assistant  the  prison  physician 
petulantly  stated:  "  This  man  must  suffer,  but  so 
ciety  has  made  him  what  he  is!  He's  not  to  blame; 
but  who  is?  " 

Jere  was  at  once  transferred  to  the  Hospital  for 
Insane  Criminals,  there  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  He  was  anti-social,  not  by  choice,  but  by  an 
inherited  disease,  which  was  incurable.  So  far  as 
society  was  concerned  his  book  of  life  had  been  closed, 
except  that  he  had  become  a  life-long  ward  of  the 
state. 

The  great,  iron  gate  in  the  gray  walls  clanks  dis 
mally  behind  those  who  pass  from  the  prison  yard 
into  the  beautiful  grounds  of  the  Hospital  for  Insane 
Criminals.  The  building  and  its  environments  are 
pleasing  to  the  eyes  of  the  visitor,  but  within  the 
walls  are  the  human  derelicts  who  have  made  ship 
wrecks  of  the  voyage  of  life  and  have  committed 
physical  acts  of  crime. 

Society  must  be  protected  from  the  criminals. 
Yet  some  crimes  are  purely  symptoms  of  mental 
maladies  with  which  the  poor  mortals  are  suffering. 
Too  often  we  view  crime  from  one  angle  only.  We 
compel  the  unfortunate  insane  and  feeble-minded, 
who  find  their  way  into  our  courts,  to  undergo  the 
same  punishments  as  we  do  the  mentally  sound. 
Often  retributive,  hasty  justice  overtakes  these  be 
nighted  offenders;  in  less  than  an  hah*  an  hour  they 
are  found  guilty,  sentenced  and  carried  off  to  prison. 

In  one  of  the  wards  in  this  prison  was  a  young  man 


186  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

swaying  to  and  fro,  soliloquizing  in  a  silly,  senseless 
chatter.  His  hands  tremble  continually,  his  eyes 
are  lustreless. 

He  is  unconscious  of  the  approach  of  the  visitors. 
This  fellow  was  convicted  of  forgery.  He  clumsily 
raised  a  check  from  fifteen  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars;  then  asked  the  cashier  of  the  bank  if  he 
had  done  it  properly. — 

Helpless  and  demented  he  had  been  stigmatized 
and  penalized,  his  family  disgraced;  and,  to  the 
sorrow  of  disease,  had  been  added  the  degradation  of 
crime. 

Another  individual  is  decorated  with  bits  of  colored 
paper.  He  carries  a  sack  full  of  all  sorts  of  trash, 
pebbles,  leaves  and  bits  of  wood.  He,  too,  is  pos 
sessed  of  weak  features  which  have  been  scarred  and 
bruised  by  the  demon  of  epilepsy.  Following  each 
convulsion  he  becomes  an  unconscious  slave  and  tool 
of  his  baser  self.  In  a  state  of  automatism  he  ap 
propriated  some  garments  from  a  clothes  lines,  and 
before  he  regained  his  normal  consciousness  he  was 
caught.  Result,  —  again  swift,  relentless  justice 
stepped  in,  and  society  was  avenged;  the  culprit  sent 
to  prison. 

Another  patient  may  be  found  delivering  an  inco 
herent  speech  to  an  imaginary  audience.  He  belongs 
to  the  type  that  murder  our  public  men.  Fate  deal 
ing  more  kindly  with  them,  they  sometimes  become 
leaders  of  fanatical  religious  cults.  This  particular 
fellow  has  very  keen  eyes;  his  face  is  irregular  in  out 
line.  Nature  has  stamped  upon  him  marks  of  de 
generacy,  and  criminality  has  claimed  him  for  her 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  187 

own.  He  murdered  a  fellowman  because  the  latter 
refused  to  acknowledge  him  as  an  emissary  from 
God.  He  is  a  paranoiac.  — 

Such  was  the  company  in  which  Jere  was  to  live 
from  now  on.  A  living  tomb,  from  whence  there  is 
no  resurrection! 

Taking  up  the  thread  of  our  narrative  we  are  ap 
prised  of  a  startling  fact.  The  prison  physician 
made,  as  he  asserted  he  would  at  the  time  of  Jere's 
examination,  some  inquiry  as  to  his  progenitors;  he 
discovered  that  Jere  Patton,  whose  real  name  was  Jere 
Patton  Maxon,  was  none  other  than  the  grandson  of 
the  distinguished  Judge  Maxon,  who  had  sentenced 
him  to  prison.  It  became  the  distressing  duty  of  the 
doctor  to  write  to  the  Judge  regarding  the  matter. 
For  two  reasons:  namely,  he  knew  of  the  Judge's 
former  efforts  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  his  son, 
whom  he  had  disinherited;  and,  though  the  truth 
was  brutal,  the  physician  felt  morally  bound  to  in 
form  Judge  Maxon  of  his  investigations.  Then,  too, 
it  was  necessary  to  verify  the  findings  that  the  rec 
ords  of  the  court  might  be  accurate  concerning  the 
identity  of  the  young  man.  The  letter  written  to 
Judge  Maxon  read  as  follows: 

STATE  PRISON, 

Hon.  Steven  Maxon,  Office  of  Physician. 

Judge  Circuit  Court, 
City  of  X . 

My  dear  Judge  Maxon: 

It  is  with  deepest  regret  that  I  write  you  the  fol 
lowing  lines.  When  examining  a  young  prisoner  the 


188  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

other  day  it  developed  that  the  fellow  knew  little  of 
his  antecedents.  Looking  up  the  State's  vital  rec 
ords  it  was  found  that  the  prisoner's  name  in  reality 
is  Jere  Patton  Maxon.  Further  investigations  re 
vealed  that  he  is  a  child  of  your  late  son,  Steven 
Maxon,  Jr. 

Believe  me,  Judge,  that  never  have  I  been  placed 
in  a  more  painful  position  than  to  be  compelled  to 
impart  this  lamentable  news  to  you.  When  I  ex 
amined  the  boy  in  my  laboratory  I  found  him  to  be 
both  insane  and  feeble-minded.  This  mental  in 
firmity  being  due  to  an  inherited  blood  disorder.  I 
have  placed  him  in  the  Hospital  for  Insane  Criminals, 
where  he  will  receive  the  best  care  and  attention  that 
I  am  able  to  give.  The  prognosis  for  recovery  is 
unfavorable. 

You  may  rest  assured  that  this  revelation  will  be 
kept  strictly  confidential. 

Yours  sympathizingly, 

E.  B.  RANSON,  M.D. 
Physician  in  Charge  State  Prison  Hospital. 


CHAPTER  XV 
A  PAWN  OF  FATE 

Upon  receiving  the  letter  containing  the  shocking 
disclosures,  written  by  the  prison  physician,  Judge 
Maxon  left  the  city  the  following  day.  Another 
judge  was  appointed  to  fill  the  bench  during  the  ab 
sence  of  the  venerable  jurist.  It  was  stated  in  the 
court  house  circles  that  he  would  be  absent  a  week  on 
a  visit  to  the  state  capital.  Political  gossip  ran  riot 
and  all  kinds  of  wild  surmises  were  disseminated. 
Some  rumors  would  have  it  that  the  Judge  was  going 
to  interview  the  Governor  concerning  a  successor; 
Kennington  quite  likely  being  the  favorite;  others 
asserted  that  Judge  Maxon  was  seeking  some  higher 
position  for  himself.  Each,  however,  fell  wide  of  the 
mark,  for  the  visit  to  the  capital  was  made  to  corrob 
orate  the  statement  received  from  Dr.  Ranson. 

A  week  had  elapsed,  when,  one  evening,  Kenning 
ton,  learning  of  the  Judge's  return,  called  upon  his 
legal  friend.  Entering  the  library,  into  which  he  had 
been  ushered,  he  found  Judge  Maxon  sitting  before 
the  open  fireplace,  lost  in  deep  reverie.  His  head  was 
bowed  upon  his  chest;  in  his  hand,  resting  upon  the 
broad  arm  of  his  chair,  was  a  crumpled  sheet  of 
paper.  Impishly  the  firelight  illumined  his  face  and 
snow  white  hair.  He  was  totally  oblivious  to  all  his 
surroundings,  even  to  Kennington's  approach. 


190  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

The  latter  thought  to  himself  as  he  gazed  at  the 
old  man:  "  Here  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  kindly  old 
age,  peace  and  serenity; "  and  he  hesitated  to  dis 
turb  the  old  gentleman,  when  the  servant  spoke: 
"  Mr.  Kennington  to  see  you,  Judge." 

The  Judge  was  startled  from  his  contemplation, 
but  welcomed  his  visitor  quite  warmly  and  in  his 
customary  hospitable  manner. 

"  I  am  indeed  glad  that  you  called;  I  have  been 
wanting  to  talk  to  you  all  day." 

"  Yes,  Judge,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  have  you  speak 
that  way,  I  assure  you,  but  first  let  me  ask,  are  you 
ill?  " 

Whereupon  the  other  replied:  "  No,  not  in  body, 
but  in  mind.  Draw  your  chair  to  the  fire  and  read 
this  letter.  I  do  not  know  how  to  begin." 

Kennington  divined  that  something  must  have 
gone  radically  wrong  with  his  aged  friend  and  solici 
tously  said:  "Better  let  me  call  a  physician;"  to 
which  the  Judge  made  a  deprecatory  gesture  and 
replied: 

"  No,  no;  a  physician  could  not  render  any  service 
to  me  in  this  case,"  and  in  a  tone  of  utter  despair  he 
again  proffered  the  letter  to  the  young  man  for  pe 
rusal.  Kennington  answered,  "  Since  you  insist  that 
no  physical  attention  is  needed  I'll  do  as  you  wish;  " 
and  so  saying  sat  down  to  read  the  missive,  laden 
with  its  tragic  news.  After  the  reading  Kennington 
was  speechless;  a  sigh  from  the  Judge  roused  him. 
Rising  he  stepped  over  to  the  bowed  form  opposite 
him  and  tenderly  laid  his  hands  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  grief-stricken  man. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  191 

"  All  right,  my  boy;  don't  say  anything;  sit 
down;  let  me  do  the  talking.  Fate  has  laid  a  heavy 
hand  on  that  poor  lad  Jere  Patton,  whom  I  sentenced 
to  prison  a  little  more  than  two  weeks  ago.  The 
truth  is,  however,  that  I  sentenced  him  beyond  the 
pale  of  pardon  fifty  years  ago." 

'  What  do  you  mean?  "  the  astonished  young 
laywer  exclaimed,  thinking  to  himself  that  perhaps 
his  friend's  mind  had  suddenly  become  unbalanced 
under  the  stress  of  this  terrible  revelation. 

"  Have  patience  with  me,  Kennington.  It  is  a 
long  story  but  it  must  be  all  told,  and  told  without 
reserve  so  that  you  may  understand  the  moves  Fate 
makes  when  she  plays  with  men,  —  her  pawns  on 
the  chess  board  of  life." 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  and  then  the  Judge 
began  in  a  low  voice: 

:<  The  curriculum  of  18 —  had  come  to  its  close 
and  an  eastern  university  was  ready  to  open  its  ivy 
clad  portals  to  let  her  graduates  go  out  into  the 
world  to  put  into  practice  what  they  had  acquired 
in  theory. 

>(  The  great  hall  was  crowded  to  overflowing,  and 
with  bated  breath  the  audience  listened  to  the  bacca 
laureate  address  delivered  by  the  oldest  living  alum 
nus,  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Goodall,  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

"  Among  the  terse  statements  made  by  the  noted 
divine,  one  especially  was  dwelt  and  enlarged  upon: 
namely,  that  every  one  is  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortune.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  many  firm  resolu 
tions  were  made  on  that  evening  to  blaze  a  pathway 
in  the  labyrinth  of  life,  leaving  a  record  in  the  annals 


192  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

of  history  as  a  proof  of  the  assertions  of  the  well- 
loved  speaker.  The  next  evening  the  united  fra 
ternities  gave  their  farewell  dance  to  the  sororities, 
and  it  was  an  event  long  to  remain  a  bright  spot 
in  the  memory  of  those  attending.  Nothing  was 
spared  or  overlooked  to  make  the  occasion  a  most 
brilliant  success;  for  the  youths  arranging  the  pro 
gram  were  sons  of  wealthy  and  noted  families. 

The  galaxy  of  beauty  displayed  by  the  members 
of  the  sororities  could  only  be  rivalled  by  the  im 
agination  of  an  artist.  One  certain  couple  attracted 
the  attention  of  every  eye.  They  were  beyond  doubt 
the  most  favored  among  all  those  present,  physically, 
intellectually  and  socially.  The  young  man  had  just 
finished  his  literary  course,  winning  nearly  all  the 
available  scholarships  and  honors  until  he  was 
recognized  as  the  finest  student  of  the  university  and 
pointed  out  as  a  model  to  be  followed.  He  was  a  very 
diligent  scholar,  endowed  with  a  high  sense  of  honor 
and  his  position  in  life  was  above  reproach,  but  in 
his  life  a  Nemesis  was  ever  present. 

"  Dark  visions  rose  to  cloud  his  happiness  when 
he  recalled  the  hours  spent  with  reckless  companions 
on  a  night  during  his  sophomore  year.  A  Greek 
fraternity,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  had  given  a 
reception  to  visiting  brothers  from  a  neighboring 
university.  Wine  had  flowed  in  profusion  and  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning  one  foolish  J rater  had  sug 
gested  that  they  visit  the  Maison  D'or,  a  place  often 
frequented  by  the  young  bloods  of  the  day.  Here, 
drunk  and  worshiping  at  the  shrine  of  an  unchaste 
Venus,  he  contracted  a  loathsome  disease. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  193 

"  At  heart  he  was  a  clean  boy  and  when  the  truth 
was  brought  home  to  him  a  few  days  later  his  mental 
depression  almost  amounted  to  a  despair  which  in 
vited  suicide. 

"  Upon  saner  reflection,  however,  he  consulted  a 
prominent  college  physician  and  learned  that  though 
his  body  was  filled  with  the  revolting  poison  of  a 
constitutional  disease,  he  might  by  a  long  continued, 
rigid  treatment,  eventually  be  restored  to  health. 
Faithfully  he  followed  the  strict  rules  which  the  doc 
tor  imposed  upon  him;  and  yet,  though  his  progress 
was  excellent,  he  was  always  haunted  by  a  constant 
fear  that  some  time  or  other  a  second  outbreak  would 
drag  him  down  to  utter  ruin. 

"  Fate,  however,  seemed  to  be  kind;  he  steadily 
improved  and  soon  appeared  his  former  self  again. 
Then  love  came,  and  though  at  first  he  fought  hard 
against  it,  ever  mindful  of  his  secret  downfall  and  its 
bitter  consequences,  he  finally  surrendered  to  the  all- 
conqueror  when  assured  by  his  physician  that  if  he 
continued  to  live  a  sober  life  there  would  be  no  danger 
either  for  himself  or  his  wife,  were  he  to  marry.  With 
a  light  heart  he  hastened  to  declare  his  love  and  re 
ceived  her  sweetly  candid  avowal  of  love  requited. 
Those  were  halcyon  days  of  happiness  supreme, 
though  often  the  phantom  spectre  of  fear  infernal 
filled  his  heart  and  mind,  and  the  burning  question 
recurred  to  haunt  him:  what  if,  notwithstanding 
the  doctor's  assurance  of  immunity,  this  curse  of  hu 
manity,  this  retributing  sin  of  the  fathers  visited 
upon  the  children's  children,  should  assert  itself, 
and  on  his  son? 


194  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

"  The  engagement  of  the  young  couple  was  ap 
proved  by  every  one,  especially  the  families  of  the 
betrothed.  The  fraternity  dance  was  their  last  social 
appearance  at  college  prior  to  leaving  for  home,  and 
quite  naturally  they  sought  to  be  in  each  other's 
company  as  much  as  possible  that  evening.  She 
was  an  excellent  young  lady  of  strictly  irreproachable 
character,  and  he  was  her  first  love.  She  lavished 
freely  upon  him  all  the  ardor,  fervor  and  true  passion 
that  her  heart  was  capable  of  giving. 

"  As  I  said  before,  the  dance  was  all  that  could  be 
expected  of  a  college  affair.  There  were  quiet  nooks 
in  secluded  spots  where  between  dances  the  lovers 
could  give  themselves  over  to  wanton  abandon 
ment  of  expressions  of  affection.  Then  followed  the 
supper,  its  fine,  fiery  wines  adding  their  fuel  to  the 
flames." 

Here  the  narrator  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  then 
resumed  as  if  talking  to  himself  only. 

"  It  was  after  midnight  when  the  lovers  started 
for  home;  and  instead  of  leaving  his  betrothed  at 
her  door,  the  enamoured  youth  followed  into  the 
house  to  remain  —  '  just  a  little  while  '  —  as  he 
consoled  his  voice  of  conscience.  His  resolve  of  '  only 
a  little  while  '  was  supplanted  by  the  wild  desire  to 
remain,  to  possess  what  was  really  his  own,  only 
withheld  by  stupid  laws  of  convention.  The  prehis 
toric  incident  of  the  eating  of  the  forbidden  fruit 
was  repeated;  and,  like  the  first  man  and  woman, 
*  they  were  sore  afraid/ 

"  The  trip  to  their  home  town  was  bereft  of  the 
charm  it  otherwise  would  have  held  for  them;  the 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  195 

constant  consciousness  of  having  been  weighed  and 
found  wanting,  having  been  less  strong  than  their 
passions,  was  a  never  ending  source  of  worry  to 
them.  It  was  doubled  for  him,  as  he  still  dreaded  a 
possible  consequence  of  his  secret  debauch  of  several 
years  before. 

"  Early  in  the  fall  their  little  world  read  in  the 
morning  papers  the  announcement  of  their  clandes- 
ine  marriage  in  New  York.  Shortly  after  the  Christ 
mas  holidays  the  many  friends  of  the  young  couple 
were  shocked  to  learn  that  the  constant  strain  of 
social  duties,  combined  with  church  work,  for  they 
were  ardent  church  workers,  had  undermined  the 
young  wife's  constitution  to  such  an  extent  that  ab 
solute  rest  and  solitude  were  ordered  by  her  family 
physician.  The  real  purpose  of  this  exile  was  simply 
to  forestall  any  comments  upon  the  prematurely 
pending  accouchement. 

:<  The  happiness  of  the  anticipated  event  was 
clouded  by  the  ever-present  painful  thoughts  of  the 
parents  to  be;  the  mother  continuously  brooding 
over  the  shame  of  their  illicit  act,  and  the  father  in 
cessantly  worried  lest  the  child  should  be  born  with 
a  diseased  inheritance  with  all  its  dread  potentiali 
ties.  And  the  knowledge  of  his  sin  hung  over  his 
happiness  by  the  thread  of  its  uncertainty  as  did  the 
sword  of  Damocles.  When  the  time  came  and  a  son 
was  born  to  them,  the  young  father  could  hardly 
wait  to  draw  the  attending  physician  aside  and  fal- 
teringly  inquire  if  the  little  one  was  normal  in  every 
way,  a  question  that  was  assuringly  answered  by 
the  doctor.  He  was  much  relieved  and  in  the  happi- 


196  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

ness  over  the  presence  of  the  little  household  tyrant 
the  young  parents  were  gradually  forgetting  their 
folly  and  the  imprudence  of  an  unguarded  moment." 

The  old  Judge  halted;  and,  looking  straight  at 
Kennington  said:  "  You,  no  doubt,  have  guessed 
before  this  who  the  person  is  that  I  have  described; 
if  not,  I'll  tell  you,  —  I  am  the  man !  " 

Silently  Kennington  accepted  this  self-accusation, 
only  gravely  nodding  his  head  in  response. 

Judge  Maxon  continued:  "Success  attended  my 
efforts;  and,  as  the  years  rolled  by,  I  became  a 
Judge  on  the  bench.  The  irony  of  it,  that  I  should 
be  called  a  Judge  to  pass  sentence  on  others!  And 
to  atone  for  the  sins  of  my  youth  I  have  endeavored 
to  live  a  straight,  clean,  upright  life.  I  even  earned 
the  praise  and  acknowledgment  of  the  public;  and 
now  this  terrible  revelation ;  though  kept  long  secret, 
my  sin  has  found  me  out.  But  to  resume,  I  often  was 
depressed  by  the  fear  that  after  all,  my  son  Tracy 
might  be  infected  with  the  same  horrid  disease  which 
once  tainted  my  blood.  This  worry  was  a  constant 
threat  to  my  happiness,  curtailing  my  keenest  en 
joyments,  and  dimming  my  pleasures. 

Unfortunately  my  sorrowful  anticipations  were 
realized.  Tracy  was  utterly  shiftless,  would  not 
apply  himself  in  school,  and  finally,  growing  unruly 
and  incorrigible,  was  expelled.  I  then  placed  him  in 
a  military  institution,  thinking  that  the  strict  disci 
pline  would  have  a  salutary  effect;  but  in  vain. 
From  here  he  was  also  dismissed  in  disgrace.  I  then 
tried  to  interest  him  in  the  study  of  law  in  my  office, 
and  for  a  while  he  seemed  to  do  well;  but  again  my 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  197 

hopes  were  dashed  to  the  ground.  He  was  a  fine  look 
ing  young  man,  but  extremely  selfish,  precocious, 
morally  anesthetic,  inwardly  coarse,  devoid  of  pure 
and  noble  ideas  and  ideals.  His  next  escapade  was 
a  runaway  marriage  consummated  with  a  ballet  girl, 
a  Lucille  Patton  of  the  "  Vanity  Fair  Chorus,"  for 
which  act,  in  resentment,  I  unjustly  disinherited 
him. 

"  He  passed  from  my  life  as  though  he  were  dead. 
I  never  saw  or  heard  of  him  again,  —  until  this  fateful 
letter  came  to  my  hands.  I  immediately  resolved  to 
verify  or  disprove  the  statement  made  herein  and 
thus  left  the  city,  as  you  know,  telling  no  one  of  the 
purport  of  my  sudden  trip.  But  it  is  only  too  true; 
that  unfortunate  puppet  of  fate,  Jere,  is,  in  fact,  my 
grandson.  From  my  investigations  I  learned  that 
as  can  easily  be  imagined  the  wedded  life  of  my  son 
was  an  exceedingly  stormy  one;  little  wonder,  how 
ever,  for  two  windstorms  leashed  together  will  pro 
duce  a  cyclone,  and  "  two  hard  stones  will  not  grind 
smoothly." 

"  An  unwelcome  visitor  in  the  person  of  a  son 
came  to  them,  an  accident,  as  it  were,  of  their  un 
bridled  passion;  and,  rather  than  adding  a  sense  of 
responsibility  to  the  parents,  the  child  was  left  to 
the  care  of  an  illiterate  nurse  girl  of  the  street,  while 
the  parents  indulged  in  a  mad  pursuit  of  pleasure. 
The  child  surely  was  to  be  pitied,  for  he  bore  a  heavy 
burden  of  ancestral  tyranny  which  is  always  relent 
less  and  which  handicapped  him  forever.  His  fate 
was  predestined,  —  his  course  on  life's  seas  char 
tered.  The  world,  myself  included,  has  judged  him 


198  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

harshly;  it  was  not  his  fault  that   he  entered  life 
warped,  —  mentally  and  physically. 

'  Tracy  soon  tiring  of  them,  forsook  his  wife  and 
child;  then  his  money  gave  out  and  he  resorted  to 
forgery.  He  was  caught,  tried  and  sentenced  to 
prison.  When  released  he  went  from  bad  to  worse. 
The  end  was  suicide.  Jere's  mother  though  far  from 
what  she  should  have  been,  had  sufficient  of  the  in 
stinct  of  mother  love  within  her  to  cling  to  her  child 
and  she  eked  out  a  questionable  living  for  herself 
and  for  him. 

"  When  Jere  was  but  eight  years  old  she  became  a 
victim  to  tuberculosis  and  died  in  a  public  institu 
tion.  Here  is  where  the  information  concerning  the 
boy  stops;  how  he  grew  up,  what  hardships  he  was 
compelled  to  undergo  Heaven  alone  knows;  and  yet 
it  is  all  my  fault,  all  my  fault!  Just  to  think  that  I 
should  finish  the  tragedy  I  began,  and  sentence  him 
to  a  living  grave  in  prison,  where  after  a  thorough 
examination  it  has  been  found  advisable  for  the  good 
of  himself  and  society  at  large  to  transfer  him  to  the 
Colony  of  Insane  Criminals,  there  among  other  hu 
man  derelicts  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life! 

"  Oh,  Kennington,  was  there  ever  a  case  like  this? 
Before  you  came,  my  dear  young  friend,  I  sat  here 
and  let  my  life  pass  before  me  like  a  panorama, 
omitting  not  the  smallest  instance.  Like  a  hollow 
mockery  from  the  deep  caverns  of  time  the  words  of 
that  well-remembered  baccalaureate  address  rang 
through  my  mind:  '  Every  one  is  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune!'  I  tell  you  it  is  false!  It  is  false! 
'Tis  an  abominable  lie;  what  can  frail  man,  the  mere 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  199 

pawn  of  fate,  a  miserable  puppet,  do  to  alter  the 
prescribed  course  of  his  destinies?  Why  in  the  very 
morning  of  earth's  existence,  at  the  gates  of  Eden, 
from  whence  Adam  and  Eve  were  driven  for  sinning 
against  God's  command,  the  law  of  heredity  was 
irrevocably  established  when  the  progenitors  of  man 
kind  were  doomed  to  labor,  to  love,  to  suffer  and  to 
die.  Few  natures  are  strong  enough  to  mould  fate 
against  the  odds  of  heredity." 

Waiting  a  few  brief  moments  the  Judge  again 
spoke: 

"  How  could  I  and  mine  ever  dare  hope  to  escape 
that  inexorable  tentacle  of  fatality?  I  now  see  that 
many  times  in  my  professional  experience  I  have 
had  ample  proof  of  the  consequences  of  heredity; 
many  unfortunates  have  been  brought  before  me 
upon  whom  to  pass  judgment  for  transgressions 
which  were  in  reality  attributable  to  their  ancestors 
then  lying  in  the  grave.  Defective  in  mind  and  body, 
how  could  such  victims  rise  above  the  fateful  level 
of  their  inheritance?  The  inmates  of  various  insti 
tutions  of  the  country  are  living  testimonials  to  the 
law  of  heredity,  and  man's  inhumanity  to  man  is 
forever  flagrantly  in  evidence.  I,  myself,  have  been 
more  than  unkind  to  my  son  and  grandson.  The 
poisons  of  my  own  blood  have  wreaked  vengeance 
on  them. 

"  The  pulpit,  which  should  be  the  beacon  light  of 
virtue  and  the  warning  voice  against  evil,  is  afraid 
to  fulfill  its  mission,  lest  it  offend  its  substantial 
supporters.  Prominent  members  of  the  church  rent 
their  properties  for  immoral  purposes;  parents  take 


200  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

their  children  budding  into  manhood  and  womanhood 
to  the  theatre  to  view  plays  which  would  cause  even 
a  lascivious  Nero  to  blush.  Under  the  guise  of  re 
spectability  dances  are  given  and  garments  worn 
which  are  worthy  of  the  dancing  daughter  of 
Herodias. 

4  What  the  world  needs  is  a  physical  gospel 
preached  without  fear  or  favor.  Man  should  be 
taught  to  lead  a  sober  life,  near  nature's  heart;  and 
the  greatest  care  should  be  given  to  the  production 
and  bringing  up  of  a  healthy,  morally  clean  race.  All 
those  unfit  for  the  propagation  of  healthy  offspring 
should  be  unsexed  or  forbidden  to  marry,  thereby 
making  it  impossible  for  children  to  be  born  and 
reared  in  fetters  of  direful  bondage,  the  links  of 
which  had  been  forged  by  polluted  ancestors.  Oh, 
how  much  better  had  it  been,  had  I  never  been  a 
father!" 

Exhausted  from  this  sad  self-accusatory  auto 
biography,  the  old  Judge  leaned  back  heavily  in  his 
chair  and  closed  his  eyes.  A  prolonged  silence  en 
sued. 

Kennington  was  so  moved  by  the  dramatic  recital 
that  words  failed  him  for  expression.  While  review 
ing  the  statements  made  by  his  venerable  colleague, 
he  became  conscious  of  the  regular,  heavy  breathing 
of  the  Judge  beside  him.  Sic  transit  gloria  mundi! 
came  to  his  mind.  Here  sat  the  last  of  the  Maxon 
family;  and  to  what  an  inglorious  end  it  had  come! — 

Nature  was  kind,  however,  to  let  the  old  man 
graciously  fall  into  the  arms  of  sleep. 

Quietly  Kennington  arose,  and,  as  the  little  tongues 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  201 

of  flames,  the  only  light  in  the  room,  fantastically 
flickered  and  cast  their  weird  shadows  upon  the 
walls,  he  softly  stole  out  of  the  library,  and  leaving 
the  Judge  to  the  faithful  servant's  care,  went  home. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

KENNINGTON'S  REWARD 

One  year  had  elapsed  and  brought  with  it  quite  a 
few  momentous  changes.  The  vigorous  campaign 
against  public  graft,  inaugurated  and  pursued  by 
Kennington,  had  come  to  a  glorious  and  victorious 
end.  All  the  evil  doers  in  public  office  who  had  re 
mained  in  the  city  were  dealt  with  summarily  and 
others  who  fled,  ere  they  could  be  apprehended,  left 
never  to  return.  A  thorough  house-cleaning,  as  it 
were,  had  been  made  and  the  City  of  the  Lake  en 
joyed  an  administration  of  civic  purity.  It  was  no 
longer  the  haven  of  refuge  for  criminals.  Human 
life  was  safer,  as  was  public  and  private  property. 
All  this  was  due  to  the  persistent,  fearless  efforts  of 
the  prosecuting  attorney,  whom  the  evil  element 
had  selected  and  elected,  thereby  sealing  its  own 
doom.  Only  too  late  did  the  political  gangsters 
learn  their  mistake. 

The  press,  the  pulpit,  the  various  organizations 
and  clubs,  as  well  as  the  members  of  the  many  homes, 
all  combined  in  extolling  Kennington's  virtues. 
Little  wonder  it  was,  then,  that  when  at  the  end  of 
the  last  court  session  Judge  Maxon  resigned,  the 
lionized  prosecuting  attorney  was  suggested  as  the 
successor  to  his  venerable  colleague. 

With  some  trepidation  Judge  Kennington  took 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  203 

his  seat  on  the  bench,  feeling  that  he  might  not  fill 
this  highly  responsible  position  creditably  (that  is, 
according  to  his  advanced  ideas  of  criminality),  and 
deal  out  justice  as  he  thought  it  should  be  dispensed. 
In  his  wide  experience  with  crime,  as  prosecutor,  he 
had  come  to  the  painful  realization  that  much  was 
lacking  in  the  manner  with  which  the  criminal  is 
treated  and  disposed  of.  He  had  become  fully  con 
vinced  that  the  old  retaliative,  vindictive  dispensa 
tion  of  the  law  was  not  the  kind  to  be  pursued  in  this 
present  era.  He  believed  the  man,  not  the  crime 
alone,  must  be  thoroughly  studied;  that  Science  and 
Mercy  must  be  the  associate  Judges,  seated  on  either 
side  of  Justice.  Science  was  first  to  be  employed  to 
investigate  the  physical  basis  of  the  social  phenome 
non  of  crime,  and  the  concomitant,  economic  or 
social  circumstances  which  make  the  individual  a 
criminal.  And  then  Mercy  was  to  follow,  pleading 
in  the  name  of  humanity  to  let  the  true  findings  of 
her  associate  sister  Judge,  Science,  stay  the  hand  of 
Justice,  lest  the  blow  of  the  avenging  sword  fall  too 
heavily  and  cut  too  deeply  and  severely. 

For  almost  a  year  Judge  Kennington  was  a  fre 
quent  but  welcomed  visitor  at  the  Gerard  residence. 
To  him  these  hours  were  delicious  rest  periods  from 
his  strenuous  mental  labors  for  he  was  very  conscien 
tious  in  his  new  legal  capacity. 

There  was  ever  present  in  his  mind  the  sad  history 
Judge  Maxon  had  related  to  him;  and,  which  was 
known  but  to  the  old  gentleman,  the  prison  physician 
and  Kennington  himself.  It  was  through  the  young 
Judge's  recommendation  and  vigorous  efforts  that  a 


204  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

psychopathic  laboratory  was  established  in  the 
Court.  Here  each  offender  of  the  law  was  given  a 
thorough  examination  at  the  time  of  his  trial,  thereby 
preventing  the  miscarriage  of  justice.  It  was  his 
delight  to  discuss  these  matters  and  the  great  plans 
he  had  in  mind  for  the  penology  of  the  future,  with 
the  girl  he  loved  so  dearly.  Her  clever  and  clear 
conception  of  all  these  vital  topics  and  her  great 
interest  in  the  work  itself,  convinced  him  all  the  more 
that  she  would  be  a  fit  helpmate  for  him.  Often 
Kennington  indulged  in  day  dreams  of  what  it  would 
mean  to  him  to  come  home  at  evening  to  her,  as  his 
wife,  and  there  at  his  own  fireside  review  the  ques 
tions  of  the  day.  Equally  as  often  after  such  fond 
reveries  he  firmly  resolved  to  speak  to  her  of  his 
love,  but  each  time  it  appeared  as  if  he  could  not 
muster  up  courage  to  do  so.  Naturally,  with  her 
feminine  instinct,  Jennie  divined  the  secret  thought 
and  desire  of  her  admirer;  yet  not  infrequently 
would  she  direct  the  conversation  into  other  chan 
nels  when  she  saw  that  there  was  danger  of  the  sub 
ject  becoming  too  personal.  They  were  conscious 
lovers;  yet  no  declaration  of  love  had  been  made. 

On  the  evening  of  his  first  year's  anniversary  as 
Judge,  Kennington  called  at  the  Gerard's.  The 
weather  was  ideal,  as  only  the  autumn  season  can  be. 
October  had  been  simply  gorgeous,  striving  to  leave 
no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  that  the  autumn 
time,  with  its  wonderful  sunshine,  its  myriads  of 
color  effects  in  gold,  brown  and  red,  is  the  queen  of 
seasons,  and  triumphantly  ushering  out  the  harvest 
time  of  the  year. 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  205 

A  beautiful  Indian  Summer  night  was  holding 
sway;  and  it  was  upon  Jennie's  own  suggestion  that 
they  set  out  for  a  stroll  in  the  park  along  the  Lake 
shore. 

Seated  there,  with  the  wide  expanse  of  water  before 
them,  watching  the  thousands  of  frolicking  white- 
caps,  silver-tinted  by  the  serene  and  mellow  light  of 
the  harvest  moon,  Kennington  and  Jennie  sat  in 
rapturous  silence.  Once  in  a  while,  in  the  distance, 
black  clouds  of  smoke  would  arise  from  huge  funnels, 
bright  lights  became  visible,  deep-toned,  sonorous 
sounds  floated  over  the  blue  main  and  the  silence 
again. 

"  The  ships  that  pass  in  the  night!  "  Jennie  re 
marked. 

'  Yes,  it  is  a  wonderful  sight,  and  yet  a  sad  one; 
for  it  illustrates  how  on  life's  sea  the  human  vessels, 
—  man  meeting  man  —  pass  and  go  on,  never  per 
haps  to  meet  again!  " 

'  You  are  not  in  a  sad  mood  tonight,  Judge,  I 
hope?  "  Jennie  queried,  looking  him  full  in  the  face, 
her  own  fair  countenance  bearing  an  undisguisable 
expression  of  concern. 

"  Oh,  no,  Jennie,  I  only  gave  vent  to  my  thoughts 
which  the  grand  tableau  of  a  few  moments  ago  had 
called  into  life.  No,  I  am  not  sad;  why  should  I  be? 
Fate  has  been  extremely  kind  to  me;  I  have  been 
permitted  today  to  conclude  my  first  anniversary 
as  an  incumbent  of  the  bench.  Taking  a  retrospect, 
I  find  that  it  has  been  an  exceedingly  successful 
year.  Science  linked  hand  in  hand  with  Justice,  the 
latter  tempered  by  Mercy,  have  broadened  the 


206  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

penology  of  today  and  the  old  Lex  Talionis  has  been 
pushed  into  the  background.  You  have  given  me 
inspiration  and  been  a  great  help  to  me  when  I  came  to 
you  with  my  legal  troubles.  No  doubt  many  times 
I've  wearied  you  with  my  abstract  monologues." 

'  Why,  no  indeed;  you  never  were  tiresome,  and 
I  was  not  only  glad  that  you  considered  me  capable 
of  comprehending  your  statements,  but  I  too  have 
profited.  They  gave  me  broader  views  in  my  settle 
ment  labors,  especially  since  I  had  fallen  heir  to 
some  of  the  houses  in  which  I  had  been  pursuing 
my  social  betterment  work.  I  have  closely  followed 
the  decisions  in  your  court  and  new  ideas  of  life  have 
been  given  me.  You  say  I  have  been  helpful  to  you; 
I  can  hardly  believe  it;  I  do  not  see  in  what  measure, 
but  I  am  sure  that  you  have  been  of  far  more  help 
to  me  in  the  past  year  than  I  could  ever  dream  to 
have  been  to  you.  No,  do  not  interrupt  me,"  as  he 
turned  toward  her  to  speak,  "  please,  don't;  I  must 
tell  you  this,  for  it  is  only  due  you  in  atonement  of 
what  you  suffered  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago. 
It  is  far  from  my  intention  to  call  up  every  detail 
of  the  dead  past  with  its  dead;  but,  Judge,  I  know 
all  you  had  to  contend  with  in  your  brave  fight  for 
the  city's  reform.  I  know  every  one  of  your  oppo 
nents,  and,"  -in  a  low  voice,  partly  shaken  with 
emotion,  -  -  "  I  know  who  sought  to  stop  your  efforts 
by  endeavoring  to  silence  you  forever.  How  I  found 
that  out  does  not  matter  now;  perhaps  some  other 
time  I  will  disclose  it  to  you;  tonight,  however,  I 
wanted  to  tell  you,  in  order  that  you  might  under 
stand  my  attitude  in  the  matter  and  how  I  appre- 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  207 

ciated,  beyond  expression,  your  courtesy,  notwith 
standing  the  odds  against  me." 

Kennington  gently  sought  her  hand,  which  she 
unresistingly  yielded  to  him.  He  held  it  for  a  while 
in  silence  and  then  began: 

"  Little  did  I  realize  or  anticipate  that  you  would 
reveal  this  to  me;  but  as  you  say,  let  the  dead  past 
bury  its  dead.  Today  is  the  time  in  which  we  live 
and  the  Future  is  knocking  at  our  door,  Jennie,"  he 
said  tenderly,  "  I  love  you;  I  need  you;  I  need  your 
help.  Will  you  assist  me  to  solve  life's  many  prob 
lems,  that  thereby  we  two  may  jointly,  governed  and 
guided  by  the  greatest  virtues  of  all,  true,  unfaltering 
love,  and  united  in  happiness,  be  a  blessing  to  our 
fellowmen,  accomplishing  something  worthwhile  for 
the  good  of  humanity?  " 

With  sweet  frankness,  born  of  her  true  individual 
character  and  self,  she  replied,  laying  both  her 
hands  in  his,  and  looking  at  him  with  eyes  over 
flowing  with  tender  love: 

"  Yes,  Arthur,  I  will  help  you  always,  for  I  love  you !" 

When  heart  talks  to  heart  in  the  language  of  love 
words  are  insufficient  and  unnecessary.  Thus  in  the 
happy  consciousness  of  each  other's  devotion  they 
remained  in  silence,  —  a  song  of  happiness  in  their 
hearts. 

Farther  down  the  lake  shore  a  boat  was  majesti 
cally  steaming  up  to  the  pier,  having  successfully 
completed  her  voyage. 

"Home  at  last!  Safely  anchored,  dearest,"  Ken 
nington  whispered.  '  *  We  too  have  reached  the 
harbor,  —  the  harbor  of  love!  " 


EPILOGUE 

Several  years  have  gone  by.  Kennington  has  be 
come  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  the 
City  of  the  Lake.  This  honor  came  to  him  as  a  re 
ward  for  his  honest,  meritorious  service  to  the 
people.  His  reputation  has  become  nation  wide. 
He  has  become  the  pioneer  of  scientific  social  justice. 
It  became  evident  to  his  keen,  critical  mind  that  for 
years  there  had  been  gross  miscarriage  of  justice  in 
the  treatment  of  prisoners,  and  because  of  these  fail 
ures  of  jurisprudence,  society  was  likewise  ineffi 
ciently  protected  from  those  who  violated  the  laws. 
This  defective  legal  procedure  had,  for  years,  sent 
hundreds  of  insane  and  feeble-minded  persons  to 
prison. 

These  same  defective  statutes  unwisely  released 
delinquent  criminals,  merely  because  they  had 
served  certain  specified  times  in  penal  institutions, 
without  taking  into  consideration  whether  or  not 
the  criminal  had  been  cured  of  his  anti-social  disease. 

Chief  Justice  Kennington  was  the  father  of  the 
idea  that  every  court  in  the  land  should  have  at 
tached  to  it  a  psychopathic  laboratory,  where  the 
mentality  of  criminals  is  investigated,  where,  in 
truth,  all  the  factors  that  plotted  against  man  for  his 
downfall,  are  carefully  studied.  In  the  court  over 
which  he  presided  the  facts  of  the  violation  of  the 


PAWNS  OF  FATE  209 

law  were  first  carefully  determined;  then  the  report 
of  the  medical  investigation  was  submitted  to  the 
judge  before  sentence  was  pronounced;  except  in 
those  cases  where  the  alleged  criminal  was  so  man 
ifestly  insane  that  he  could  not  in  the  least  compre 
hend  that  he  was  being  tried.  This  information 
furnished  the  judge  with  the  knowledge  that  would 
enable  him  to  decide  whether  the  individual  should 
have  a  suspended  sentence,  be  sent  to  prison,  to  a 
hospital  for  the  insane,  or  placed  in  the  hands  of  a 
probationary  officer.  At  first  a  change  in  the  methods 
of  criminal  procedure  was  met  with  a  storm  of  protest 
from  the  legal  fraternity.  They  argued  that  such  a 
change  was  too  idealistic  and  impracticable;  they  in 
sisted  that  this  plan  would  interfere  with  the  func 
tions  of  the  jury,  and  that  the  right  of  the  defendant 
to  employ  witnesses  would  be  curtailed;  and  these 
objections  seemed  at  first  to  be  valid  and  logical. 
But  finally  wisdom  prevailed. 

This  great  reform  gradually  spread  over  the  land. 
The  courts  of  the  big  cities  recognized  the  value  of 
this  judicial  reformation,  and  established  similar 
laboratories.  The  prisons  heard  the  call.  Great 
changes  were  being  worked  out  in  their  adminis 
tration.  The  political  grafters  who  had  so  long  held 
sway  were  sent  about  their  business,  and  scientific 
men  were  put  in  their  stead.  The  prisons  became 
schools  for  the  training  of  the  hand,  head  and  heart; 
they  became  hospitals  also,  where  all  remedial  surgi 
cal  and  medical  defects  were  taken  care  of;  where 
prisoners  were  freed,  if  possible,  of  their  mental  and 
physical  burdens;  while  those  who  were  found  to  be 


210  PAWNS  OF  FATE 

incurably  defective,  no  matter  what  their  crimes 
might  be,  great  or  small,  were  kept  in  permanent 
custodial  care  for  their  own  benefit,  and  the  welfare 
of  society. 

THE  END 


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